Miraculous: Revelations of Ladybug & Cat Noir
by stringdog
Summary: A collection of oneshot reveal fics detailing different scenarios in which Marinette and Adrien discover each other's secret identities. Pairs will be exclusively Adrien and Marinette, though not all oneshots will result in a pairing. Prompt suggestions encouraged. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Deductions

**After much thought I have decided to create a series of oneshots based on various cartoons I enjoy. While Miraculous will be the first series I create there will likely be a selection for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim Possible, American Dragon and Danny Phantom with the possibilities of various crossovers with each story receiving 4 oneshots per cycle. Mostly oneshots will be based on the styles of oneshots I enjoy which will revolve around romance and/or revelations and as such for Miraculous all the oneshots will be center around one or likely both Adrien and Marinette discovering their secret identities and I will stay current to the latest episode of the show minus Luka. For my oneshots I will after this week take suggestions for the theme of next week's story and select one from the suggestions given me with a shout out to whoever suggested it. Lastly while I will strive to update this ever week on Saturdays (no set time) I cannot promise it will be weekly as this is purely for fun and my main fanfiction is my novel length, 5 book series Avatar: The Tale of Harry which is currently towards the end of Book 1 and will be updated according to the schedule laid out in that fanfic. Rated T just to be safe.  
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 **On a separate note I am developing a crossover between Miraculous and Kim Possible that if it gains steam in my preparations will be released during the summer, possibly before the release of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 2: (Information classified) on June 18th.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to this show.**

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 **Deductions \- Adrien decides its time he figured out who Ladybug is by trying to deduce her identity through the clues that Alya has discovered and his own knowledge of Ladybug. What will he do when he has deduced a prime suspect in his own class? Will his lady be all that he has hoped for or will her identity shock him to his core?  
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* * *

 **Deductions**

Adrien Agreste sat at his desk in his spacious room looking at the blank piece of paper he had placed on his desk and tapped his lips with his pen, the same one his father had given him each year for his birthday for 3 straight years.

"Adrien what are you doing?" His kwami Plagg asked as he floated by his master and friend while tenderly caressing a piece of Camembert.

"I'm going to try and figure out who Ladybug really is." Adrien said as he looked lovingly at the framed photo of him as Cat Noir standing next to his lady, Ladybug, on his desk. "I am fed up of not knowing who my love, my lady is so I am going to try and deduce who she is. If I find out who she is in real life then perhaps I can get to know her secret identity and win her over."

"Sounds like a lot of what ifs." Plagg said as he scoffed down his cheese. "Cheese is simpler. Besides how are you going to figure out who she is, you have nothing to go off regarding her identity."

"I have a few things thanks to Alya and her Ladyblog." Adrien said. "Her dedication to figuring out who Ladybug is has led to two key clues from which to begin my deductions. I may not be the most observant man in the world but with a little head start I can make several deductions en route to the answer I seek."

"And what would those clues be?" Plagg asked clearly still uninterested.

"Well for one the history textbook she dropped a while back is only used at my school and specifically by my grade so that is the first clue." Adrien said as he wrote the clue down on the top of his sheet of paper. "And the most useful clue of the two Alya has provided. The other clue is that according to the Ladyblog the voice print of Ladybug matches a girl from my own age range so further adding to my theory that Ladybug is one of the girls at my school."

"Sounds like too much work." Plagg said dismissively. "Camembert is easier and the love is unconditional."

"This is important Plagg." Adrien said as he added the second clue to the sheet of paper. "Now if you aren't going to be of any help then don't distract me."

"Well I could save you the trouble and tell you who she is." Plagg said as if the news was nothing important. "Seeing as I did see who she was when you two de-transformed in that shipping container Dark Owl trapped you in but that would go against the rules."

"And you enjoy holding that info over me way too much." Adrien added.

"Too true." Plagg said. "And there is not enough Camembert that can change my mind. I'll leave you to your hopeless struggles."

With that Adrien's kwami zoomed off around his room, no doubt looking for more cheese. Adrien just shook his head at his unhelpful friend and began to list all the girls in his year. This would take a little time but he knew he would at least whittle the list down to a few names based on what he knew of Ladybug.

Looking at the picture of Ladybug Adrien instantly crossed off Alya from the list. Her skin tone didn't match Ladybug and besides her running of the Ladyblog and all the times he had seen Ladybug rescue her he knew that she couldn't be his lady. Besides she was Nino's girl and a good friend, there was no way he could have feelings for her. The next girl he crossed off without further consideration for being Ladybug was Chloe. It wasn't hard to remove his only friend before high school because she was a known Ladybug fanatic who had been revealed by Lady WiFi to definitely not be Ladybug. Furthermore given the prevalence of akuma attacks among his class and the apparent knowledge that Ladybug had of them when explaining to Cat Noir who had been akumatized and why made Adrien decide to focus on the remaining girls in his own class. He didn't know if it was his animal instincts, blind hope, or something else but Adrien was certain that Ladybug was in his class. That or the fact that they were in a class with Chloe Bourgeois who was responsible for about 90% of the akumatized victims just made his class more susceptible to Hawk Moth's attacks and thus skewing his results.

With those two off the list the next thing Adrien did was write down the akuma personalities of the remaining girls in his class. If they had been akumatized then they couldn't possibly be his lady seeing as she was there with him when they defeated the akumatized victims. After a moment he looked down the list of girls alongside their akuma personalities.

Rose – Princess Fragrance

Juleka – Reflekta

Marinette -

Kagami – Riposte

Lila – Volpina

Sabrina – Vanisher

Alix – Timebreaker

Mylene – Horrificator

Adrien looked down the list after he created it and paused. He had known that many of their classmates had been akumatized but he didn't realize how many had been. That wasn't the thing that stood out the most to him, it was the fact that only one name didn't have an akuma personality next to it, Marinette. The realization hit him hard, how had Marinette not been akumatized.

As he thought about this Adrien realized that all the boys in their class but him had been akumatized as well. That didn't bode well if someone realized and thought that that was too much of a coincidence to be true. But if that was the case then could Marinette be Ladybug. She had after all not been akumatized.

Adrien circled his friend's name and pulled out a second sheet of paper and wrote "Proof that Marinette is Ladybug" at the top of the page. Now it was time to remember what he knew of the strong, kind, cute girl who sat behind him class and always seemed to be intimidated by him given her inability to hold a coherent sentence with him. Despite this he still liked Marinette, a lot, more than he was willing to admit to himself but if she was indeed his lady then perhaps that would explain why he seemed to have feelings for two different people.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that Ladybug and Marinette's mannerisms were very similar. True he had only seen Marinette's true nature from afar given her shyness around him but what he had seen was very much like the strong self confidence and control that Ladybug had though Marinette was certainly more clumsy.

As he thought Adrien wrote down what he had deduced on his piece of paper. After he was done comparing their characters he thought about something that he probably should have thought about to begin with; had he ever seen Marinette and Ladybug in the same place. As he thought he honestly couldn't think of a time when he had seen the pair together. Sure Ladybug had asked him to protect Marinette once when the Evillustrator was after her but as soon as Marinette was safe and away from harm Ladybug had shown up. Then there was the fact that whenever there had been an akuma attack Marinette had always made up some bullshit excuse, just as he did, and run off before Ladybug had showed up and then like him claimed to have been a victim of the akumatized person's power or hiding to explain away her absence during the attack. The more he thought about it the more it seemed that he was correct in his deduction that Marinette was Ladybug. Come to think of it Ladybug always smelt of freshly baked bread and pastries and Marinette's father was a baker.

There was one last thing to do to confirm his theory, at least in his mind, and that was to compare photos. He pulled up the picture he had of Marinette on his phone that was saved with her number and compared it to the image and Ladybug. Adrien almost dropped his phone. Minus the mask the similarities between the two were eerie. They both had the same bluebell eyes, black hair and endearing short pigtails. There was no longer any doubt in his mind that Marinette was his lady.

At least that solved the problem of why he had started to have feelings for the cute amateur fashion designer when he was in love with Ladybug. They were one and the same and it seemed like his subconscious was telling him so. Now he just had to figure out how to confirm it. Plagg would be no help as he wouldn't confirm to Adrien that Marinette was or was not Ladybug and he knew he couldn't just ask her. After a moment's thought an idea struck Adrien and he smiled. This could very well work so long as he was present to see her reaction. With the thought in mind he pulled out yet another sheet of paper and began to write.

After several failed attempts Adrien sighed and smiled when he looked down at his perfected letter to Ladybug. It was in his biased mind perfect. It read:

 _Bugaboo,_

 _I know this is you, my lady. Don't worry I won't tell anyone who you are, I know that would be cat-a-strophic if it got out. Know that I couldn't be happier that it is you under that mask, you are the purrfect Ladybug. I love you, all of you both the kick ass superhero and the kind hearted girl under the mask. See you sooner than you will expect, my lady._

 _Your faithful partner and gentle-cat,_

 _Cat Noir_

Adrien smiled at the letter as he folded it, slid it into an envelope and sealed it but left the envelope blank just in case he lost it, he didn't want Marinette's secret identity getting out. Now all he had to do was slip it into her bag tomorrow and then wait for her to find out. However he would not be seeing her as Cat Noir, no he would be seeing her as Adrien as soon as he could get her alone so he could return the trust in her that she would now have to put in him. That is if her reaction told him that she was in deed Ladybug.

Adrien smiled before he yawned and checked the time and realized how late it was. Getting up and going to his bed Adrien checked on Plagg only to find his kwami passed out in an empty wheel of Camembert with a very contented look on his face. Stifling a laugh Adrien undress and fell asleep dreaming of his lady and what tomorrow would bring.

The next day Adrien was a bundle of nerves as he walked into class but his years of modeling had taught him how to hide it and appear his usual calm, collected self. Plagg had been no help as Adrien expected so he was on his own. It would take skill to slip the envelope into Marinette's bag when she wasn't looking but he knew he would have to try.

The first two classes provided no opportunity to slip the envelope into her book bag but then there was the 25 minute break before the mid morning classes and Adrien saw his chance. They normally left their books in the classroom while they headed to the courtyard to take their break so when everyone was filing out Adrien deliberately dropped his phone under the desk and ducked under to collect it while the room emptied.

Once the room was empty he looked around and then slid the envelope into Marinette's bag. Once that was done he stood up and calmly walked out to join his friends. Now all he had to was wait for the inevitable. It wouldn't take long.

Adrien was right, it only took until lunch for Marinette to notice it. He was eating the lunch Natalie had packed him with Nino on the stares while Alya and a shy Marinette ate theirs on the steps below. They usually ate together now that Nino and Alya were a couple and Adrien liked it even if Marinette still couldn't get a coherent sentence out around him.

As Marinette reached into her bag, likely to pull out her sketchbook to work on her designs she suddenly paused, a confused look on her cute face. Nino and Alya were too engrossed with each other to notice as Marinette pulled the blank envelope out of her bag and studied it.

"What's that?" Adrien asked quiet enough so that only Marinette could hear.

"I-I don't know." Marinette said with a slight stutter at Adrien's question.

"Perhaps it's from a secret admirer." Adrien said. "You should open it."

"I guess." Marinette said to confused at the letter to be shy around her crush. "So long as it's not creepy or anything."

Slowly Marinette opened it as Adrien watched. She pulled out the letter he had written and read it once. Her reaction confirmed all of Adrien's hopes and suspicions.

As soon as Marinette had read the letter and confirmed what it said and it sunk in exactly what she was reading she shrieked in panic, a shriek usually reserved for Adrien when he surprised her, and leapt up before realizing she was on a flight of metal stairs and she fell and tumbled down them. As soon as she got up she ran not caring about the scene she was likely making. Her reaction had caused Alya and Nino to look up in surprise only to see Marinette running away. In the commotion no one noticed Adrien pick up the discarded note and put it in his pocket, he would destroy it later so that no one would know.

"I think there was a spider in her bag or something." Adrien lied as a way of explaining Marinette's reaction. "I'll go and see if she's ok."

Before Alya or Nino could react Adrien had gotten up and run after Marinette. Everything was going according to plan for once. Now all he had to do was find Marinette and not have his usual bad luck.

It didn't take long to find her. She had fled to their classroom and he could hear her talking to someone inside. However the voice that responded to her was clearly not human, it sounded kwami. That further confirmed to Adrien that Marinette was indeed his lady.

"How did Cat find out?" Marinette was saying with a note of panic. "We aren't supposed to know each other's secret identities."

"I don't know." A high pitched female kwami voice replied. "I would presume his kwami told him, we do know each other and who the other miraculous holder is but we aren't supposed to say in order to keep the secrets of who Ladybug and Cat Noir really are."

"This is terrible." Marinette was saying. "I trust Cat with my life but still we weren't supposed to know."

"Think of it this way Marinette." Her kwami said. "The letter was in your bag, that means he must be in your class."

Before Marinette could respond Adrien opened the door suddenly. He wanted to reveal himself to her on his own terms before she could deduce that he was the most likely person in class to be Cat Noir. Marinette had her back to him and jump as high as Ladybug could when she heard the door open and turned to see Adrien there, a classic deer in the headlights look on her cute face. Adrien could have sworn that he saw a flash of pink zoom into Marinette's purse but he may be seeing things.

"A-Adrien w-w-w-what are you doing here?" Marinette asked shock and fear on her face.

"I came to see if you were ok." Adrien said holding his arms out to his side to show that he meant no threat. "You suddenly ran off and I was concerned."

"Did, did you h-hear anything j-just now." Marinette stuttered and Adrien could see there were tears in her bright blue eyes.

"No." Adrien lied. "I was just concerned about you."

Before Adrien could react Marinette had thrown herself into his arms and was sobbing against his chest as he held there. It felt natural and he was happy to hold her. He could smell the baked bread on her, the same he smelt on Ladybug. He knew that now was the time.

"It's ok." Adrien said softly as he held a still tearful Marinette and stoked her hair gently. "All will be ok."

"No it won't." Marinette sobbed. "I can't tell anyone but my life may be ruined now."

"Shhh, bugaboo it will be ok." Adrien whispered softly into Marinette's ear and felt her stiffen and quiet her sobs in a split second. "I will never reveal your secret, my lady."

Marinette pushed herself off Adrien but still didn't remove herself from his arms, she was way to comfortable in them. She looked up into his bright green eyes that she always got lost in and realized he was truthful in what he had said. Then what he had set sunk in. Only one person called Ladybug bugaboo and my lady, Cat Noir and only Cat Noir and Ladybug knew about the pet names he had for her. So how did Adrien know the terms? It all hit her at once. Her crush, her love was also her superhero partner and he had found out who she was.

"Don't worry my lady I picked up the note I wrote you as soon as you ran off." Adrien said quietly. "It will be destroyed later. I will never let your secret get out."

"How did you figure it out?" Marinette asked her voice shaking slightly.

"Simple deductions, my lady." Adrien said. "It took me all night but all the evidence pointed to our class and well you are the only girl who hasn't been akumatized. You even look a little like Ladybug. Once I had figured that out I decided to write the note and your reaction confirmed it to me. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I mean I am upset cos we aren't supposed to know our secret identities." Marinette said softly. "But now we know and I certainly was not expecting the love of my life to be Cat Noir or that he had feelings for me as Ladybug."

Marinette suddenly gasped when she realized what she had said. Adrien just smiled at her.

"I love you too Marinette." He said looking at her. "Both Ladybug and the incredible girl under the mask."

Before Marinette could say anything about how he only liked Ladybug and not clumsy, awkward, plain Marinette, something she had always feared, Adrien cupped her cheek with his right hand and bent down to kiss her. Softly at first but as soon as the realization that Adrien, her Adrien, was kissing her at last she sunk into it and let it carry her away. She knew they would have a lot to talk about going forward but she knew they loved each other and that was enough to see them through anything.

"What the hell is going on in here?" A stuck up female voice yelled as the door was thrown open and Chloe Bourgeois walked in along with her friend Sabrina to see Adrien and Marinette making out in the classroom.

The interruption did not make Marinette and Adrien jump apart but it annoyed Marinette. Slowly and regretfully extricating herself from Adrien's arms and walked over to Chloe who was still in the doorway. The stuck up, spoiled bitch had just ruined the best moment of Marinette's life and she wasn't going to let Chloe continue to ruin it.

"What do you think is going on." Marinette yelled at Chloe. "I was making out with my boyfriend in the classroom. Now please go away so I can have some privacy without you ruining it."

With that Marinette slammed the door so hard in Chloe's face that the blond girl stumbled back and fell over Sabrina and onto the floor in an undignified heap. The force of the slam rattled the window in the door but thankfully it didn't break.

"Now where were we." Marinette said as she walked back to a still stunned Adrien who was at last her boyfriend after months of longing for it to happen, even if it had occurred in an unconventional way.

"I believe we were here, my lady." Adrien said with a smile as he pulled Marinette in for another kiss.

Marinette felt herself once more melt into it and they were once again lost in the bliss of the moment. At last they were together and they knew their deepest secrets. Neither could be happier.

 **Hope y'all enjoyed my first attempt at a revelation oneshot for Miraculous. I intend to keep these chapter relatively short compared to my main work and limit them to at most 4,000 words each but if y'all want longer I can try. Next week's oneshot will be selected from suggestions left in reviews but if there are no suggestions I do have one planned just in case. Read, review and enjoy. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	2. Inconsistencies

**Here is the second oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations oneshot series. There was no suggestions last week for this week's oneshot theme so I went with one of the themes I have planned out. This is sort of a complement piece to last week's piece only told from Marinette's point of view and how her obsession with Adrien lead her to her discovery. Just two things about the show that does bug me to note here: 1) As brought up in one of the reviews and what I agree with is that Marinette's costume as Ladybug doesn't particularly hide her identity well which annoys me cos any routine inspections should point that out, similarly with Adrien and Cat Noir just not as obvious. 2) Marinette's obsession with Adrien is creepy and a lot like a stalker (the schedule seen in Copycat or the plan in Gigantaitan) and would not be acceptable if the genders were reversed but only Alix seems to see that in the show. Anyway I digress, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot, Inconsistencies.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

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 **Inconsistencies \- Set after the events in Gorizilla. Marinette is staring at her crush and thinking about Adrien. As she is thinking about him she realizes that there are several inconsistencies that surround Adrien and Cat Noir. When she delves deeper into the inconsistencies what she discovers will change everything. How will she deal with this new and shocking discovery and all that comes with it?  
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 **Inconsistencies**

Marinette sighed as she looked at the many pictures of Adrien she had on her wall and computer. He was physically flawless, he was a model after all, but that was only a plus and not the reason why she loved him. That was the shallow reason why Chloe liked Adrien, not why Marinette loved him. She loved him because he was kind, considerate, caring, compassionate and always there for his friends no matter what, even if he was almost always as late as she was. He was perfect but no matter how much she tried she couldn't get a straight sentence out around her crush, or at least make any sense. She was just so nervous around him she never knew what to say though it had been getting a little better, especially when something else like her Uncle or that gaming tournament was on her mind but she still stumbled when it was just them. Even as Ladybug and with a mask to protect her identity she couldn't get much more than a simple sentence out around Adrien on the rare occasions they ran into each other. Unless she was saving him from and akumatized villain, then her nerves went away as she tried to save him.

Come to think of it she rarely saw Adrien when she was Ladybug. Usually he would disappear as soon as an akuma attack started and then would reappear right afterwards saying he had been a victim of the akumatized villain or was hiding somewhere. Furthermore whenever she, as Ladybug, had had to go to the Agreste Mansion either to protect Adrien, his father or when his father was akumatized into The Collector, Adrien had always been in the shower, present briefly, or not present while she and Cat Noir had been there. Come to think of it she had never seen Adrien and Cat Noir in the same place at the same time despite Cat seeming to know a fair bit about Adrien. There were certainly some inconsistencies surrounding her crush while she was in her superhero form and between Adrien and Cat Noir that she couldn't quite place.

"Hmm." Marinette muttered out loud in her room as she looked at the images of Adrien on her wall.

"Marinette what is it?" Her kwami and friend Tikki asked her. "Usually when you are starring at Adrien your moans are either of longing or desire or possibly almost orgasmic not contemplative."

"WHAT?" Marinette shouted jumping up from her seat at Tikki's comment and landing in a heap on the floor. "Tikki you cannot say something like that! Besides I never moan that badly about him."

"Marinette I've been around for millennia I know a moan of pleasure when I hear one." Tikki said with a cute giggle. "It's ok it's perfectly natural."

"Whatever." Marinette grumbled as she got up and sat back in her chair her face still bright red. "Just try to not mention that again."

"Ok my lips are sealed." Tikki said. "Though you should hear yourself when you sleep. I'm surprised you haven't ..."

"TIKKI!" Marinette shouted as loudly as she dared as she went beat red at her kwami's words.

"Just having some fun Marinette." Tikki giggled without a hint of an apology. "Now why are you being contemplative about Adrien rather than just crushing hard on him."

"Because Tikki there are some inconsistencies I just realized when thinking about him." Marinette said not able to hide the smile or small blush that occurred when she thought of Adrien. "Especially around my interactions around him while Ladybug and his lack of interactions Adrien has with Cat Noir despite Cat's claims to know Adrien."

"You have claimed as Ladybug to know Marinette before." Tikki pointed out. "And as far as I know no one has ever seen you with her."

"Yes but that's to throw people off my trail." Marinette said. "Or else they may think that I am Ladybug."

"But Marinette you are Ladybug." Tikki pointed out.

"I know but no one but me, you and the Grand Master is supposed to know my secret identity." Marinette pointed out in return.

"So what are you going to do about these inconsistencies with Adrien." Tikki said not revealing that she knew the true explanation for why there were inconsistencies when it came to Adrien, the akuma attacks, Cat Noir and Ladybug but she couldn't tell Marinette the truth.

"We are going to brainstorm to try and figure it Tikki." Marinette said as she stood and pulled down the chart she kept that had Adrien's schedule on it.

"Do you have any theories?" Tikki asked as her kwami floating over to look at the chart. "Cos this is just evidence of your obsession with Adrien and not his strange disappearances during akuma attacks."

"Well no but now that you mention it has Adrien ever been akumatized?" Marinette asked as she looked at the chart. "Because I certainly would remember if I ever had to face an akumatized Adrien."

"Because you would be a nervous wreck around him and end up being beaten by him and thus lose your miraculous because you couldn't harm him, right?" Tikki asked.

"Probably." Marinette said. "I know that Hawk Moth's akumas change their victims and make their negative emotions even worse so that they are evil but it was hard enough to fight Alya when she was Lady WiFi, I don't think I could have fought Adrien."

"Well as far as I know he hasn't been akumatized." Tikki said helpfully. "I think you would have remembered if he had been."

"Yes I would." Marinette said thinking. "So why hasn't he been akumatized. Everyone else but myself in class have been akumatized so why not Adrien."

"Perhaps because Chloe actually likes him." Tikki offered to which Marinette growled at the statement. "And she has been responsible for a good portion of akumatized victims."

"True but at least he doesn't see her the same way she and I see him." Marinette said. "Which is bittersweet because I know he doesn't have a crush on Chloe so that's good but at the same time he doesn't see me as anything more than a friend."

"He just hasn't had the chance to see how amazing you are." Tikki said helpfully.

"Thanks Tikki." Marinette said with a sad smile. "But I cannot focus on teenage angst right now when we have work to do. So why hasn't Adrien been akumatized."

"Chloe likes him." Tikki said repeating her earlier point.

"No that's not it." Marinette said. "Chloe has been responsible for about 11 akumatized victims but I have been responsible, directly or indirectly as either myself or Ladybug, for at least 9 so it couldn't be that. Wow I never realized that I was almost as bad as Chloe, I really need to figure out why that is but not right now. Furthermore Adrien's father has been responsible for multiple akumas as well, 3 at least, so it can't be because we all like Adrien in some way."

"Then how do you explain the fact that Adrien or yourself for that matter have never been akumatized?" Tikki asked.

"Well I don't usually let negative emotions get the better of me." Marinette said. "So there is nothing for Hawk Moth to exploit."

"Except your raging jealousy when it comes down to Adrien and any other woman showing an interest in him." Tikki not so helpfully pointed out.

"Except for that but that's justified." Marinette said. "As for Adrien I can't explain it. It's also harder to see how he keeps missing all the akumas when Cat Noir is around. The only time he's interacted with akumatized villains have been ones like Riposte or that gorilla who have been after Adrien directly."

"Yes but he's around when Cat Noir isn't." Tikki pointed out hoping to nudge Marinette in the right direction. It was getting too painful for Tikki to keep the secret from Marinette but her mistress had to discover the truth on her own.

"You're right Tikki." Marinette said absentmindedly before a sudden realization hit her. "Wait a sec Tikki I never thought about that before. When we faced the latest akuma, that giant gorilla thing that was Adrien's bodyguard, Cat Noir didn't show until the very end. He didn't even show when Adrien fell from the roof. That gorilla let me go so I could save him though I don't know why."

"Why would Cat not show up while Adrien was present?" Tikki asked.

"But he did right at the end of the fight with the gorilla." Marinette said though she didn't sound convinced. "Of course all I saw was a person wearing a helmet and similar clothes to Adrien from a distance so it could have been a double, there was that crazy fanboy after all. But what then."

Marinette put away her Adrien schedule and looked at the pictures of Adrien she had on her wall with a puzzled look on her face. She couldn't put together these inconsistencies between Adrien, Cat Noir and all the akuma attacks.

"What is my dear Adrien?" Marinette whispered to the images of her crush. She pulled out her Adrien charm that he had given her for her birthday and idly played with it to sooth her. "What am I missing?"

From behind her Tikki face palmed herself as best she could. The ancient kwami couldn't understand how her human couldn't see what was right in front of her. Perhaps she was just too blinded by her love for Adrien to see what was right in front of her. Tikki had known many Ladybugs in her time and all were different but none had been as clumsy or as oblivious as Marinette was though she was the most compassionate of all of them. Tikki had a feeling that this was going to take a while and be painful to watch.

"There has to be a logical explanation for these inconsistencies." Marinette muttered. "One that explains it all simply."

"Well Marinette have you heard of Occam's Razor?" Tikki said floating in front of her.

"No I don't think I have." Marinette said still not focused on her kwami.

"Well it is the theory that when there are multiple explanations for something you should chose the one that requires you to make the least assumptions." Tikki said. "Or something like that. Basically whatever seems the most logical is likely the answer though not always."

"Well the most simple explanation here would be that Adrien is Cat Noir." Marinette said after thinking over all the possibilities. "It would explain how he and Cat Noir seem to know each other and yet have never been seen together, how Adrien is always nearby when an akuma attack happens and how Cat is nearby even when Adrien is the primary target of akuma, why Adrien has never been akumatized because he knows so much about akumas from fighting them to avoid being a victim himself, why I can't reach Cat when I know Adrien is around, why he always has some excuse to disappear as soon as an akuma attack begins only to reappear shortly after Cat has transformed back, and why Adrien appeared to almost say milady to me when I saved him the other day as Ladybug. But surely that's too simple an explanation to explain away all the inconsistencies, right? Surely I would know if my love is really Cat Noir, wouldn't I?"

"Love can blind us." Tikki said. "But you could test the theory you just came up with."

"How?" Marinette asked. "I don't want to get my hopes up that Adrien is Cat Noir and therefore does have feelings for me, at least for Ladybug and not plain, bland, clumsy Marinette, only to have them dashed by confronting him and being wrong. That will just make everything worse and really awkward."

As Marinette spoke she worked herself up as she usually did when talking about Adrien in a way that she thought would push him away from her. She finished her rant by flopping onto her chaise lounge with a heavy sigh.

"Marinette firstly you are Ladybug with or without the mask." Tikki said zooming over to her. "You just need the confidence around Adrien to show him that. Secondly you don't have to waltz up to Adrien and say: 'hey hot stuff I know your Cat Noir.' You need to be more subtle."

"How?" Marinette said looking up at the kwami in front of her.

"Simple." Tikki said. "Test your theory. You know that boy's schedule as well as he does, if not better given the fact that his father's assistant runs his schedule, so on a day when you know that he will be at home before your patrol with Cat you hide out on his roof, looking over his window, and if Cat Noir leaves from Adrien's room to go meet Ladybug for the patrol then either Cat is Adrien or they are lovers and they don't want to be seen together that's why they're never in the same place at the same time."

"Don't say that Tikki." Marinette said. "That's an image I do not want to see. I like your plan though and I know for a fact that tonight Adrien has piano practice at home right now so we can sort this out tonight. I don't want to wait to prove that I am right."

"Good then let's get going." Tikki said.

"You're right." Marinette said standing up. "Tikki, spots on!"

As soon as Marinette had transformed into Ladybug she exited through the trapdoor in her ceiling to her roof and swung away toward the Agreste Mansion. She was more nervous than she had ever been as Ladybug. Marinette knew they weren't supposed to know who they were under the masks but she hadn't exactly expected to come up with a theory on who Cat Noir was while admiring Adrien. If she was right she had no idea what she would do. It would mean that in some sense Adrien had feelings for her even if it was as Ladybug and not as Marinette and she had no idea how she would handle it. Come to think of it how would she be able to talk to Cat when she knew he was her crush, part of what allowed her to be so confident around him was the fact that she had no idea who he was under the mask.

These thoughts plagued Marinette as she made her way to the Agreste Mansion, bypassed the mansion's security without a problem, and took her position on the roof over Adrien's room. The window that was normally open was closed so Marinette took that as a good sign that her love was inside. That and the soft piano music emanating from the room as well. Now all she had to do was wait.

Ladybug didn't have to wait long as it was already late when she had left her house. After only about half an hour the window opened and Ladybug turned her attention to the room. A split second later there was a distinctive flash of a Miraculous holder transforming followed by a black clad figure leaping out of the window and using a staff to control it's descent onto a nearby rooftop. There was no longer any doubt in Ladybug's mind the Cat Noir and Adrien were one and the same. The only thing left for Marinette to do was confront him about it. Stealing herself and pushing her nerves and rapidly beating heart to the side she took off after Cat Noir before taking a detour so as to arrive at their usual spot atop the Eiffel Tower to meet him.

"My lady you're late." Cat Noir said calmly leaning on the balcony rail when Marinette arrived. "That's unlike you bugaboo."

"I-I was busy." Marinette said trying her best to calm her usual nerves around Adrien. "I was checking up on something."

"Oh really? What?" Cat asked her. He was very catlike when in his transformed form and curiosity was one such trait.

"I was checking up on Adrien." Marinette said deciding to check his reaction. "You know after the last akuma attack I just wanted to make sure he was ok."

"He's fine." Cat said a little too quickly to be natural and Marinette was certain that he looked a little nervous.

"Really and how would you know?" Marinette asked feeling a little bolder.

"He and I are good friends remember." Cat said his coolness back a little but not quiet his normally self. "I checked up on him about half an hour ago, shortly before I came over here to meet my lady."

"Really?" Marinette said holding Cat's gaze as small smirk made its way across her face. She had him she just needed to play this right to get him to confess. "Cos if I recall correctly, half an hour ago Adrien had a piano lesson so how could you have checked up on him when he was with a tutor."

"How did you know I had a piano lesson half an hour ago." Cat Noir said his indignation removing his common sense as he confirmed his identity to her. "Have you been stalking me, my lady."

"No-no I would never stalk you, I just know your schedule pretty well from class and from Nino." Marinette said quickly going on the defensive before deciding to turn it around and exploit what she just learned. "Wait you just said I and my when referring to Adrien. You're him! You're Adrien!" The last bit she exclaimed as if she had just figured it out.

"Merde." Cat Noir swore. "Well seeing as the cat's out of the bag now no point in hiding it. Plagg claws in."

In a smooth transition Cat Noir vanished and Adrien Agreste stood in his place his head down in a sign of defeat that was very unlike Adrien. Next to him a jet black, catlike kwami floated looking bored at the situation.

"Bout time one of you figured it out." The clearly male kwami said. "Hi I'm Plagg, Adrien's kwami."

"Plagg now's not the time." Adrien said and Plagg stopped talking and just hovered there. "Anyway I thought we weren't supposed to know our secret identities my lady. What changed your mind?"

"It wasn't by choice." Marinette said defensively. "I was at home thinking of you and how dreamy you are when I realized there were some inconsistencies regarding you, Cat Noir, the akuma attacks and my own interactions with you. When I realized the most logical explanation was that you were Cat Noir, or his lover which I knew was not possible as Cat Noir loves me. So I went to your place to see if you were Cat Noir or not and well I saw Cat Noir leave your room and it confirmed my thoughts."

"Wait why were you thinking of me." Adrien said looking up at her with his brilliant green eyes that always made Marinette weak. "And again how do you know my schedule?"

"Cos I-I-I I love you." Marinette blurted out with panic in her voice as the situation seemed to be deteriorating in front of her. Her confession caused Adrien to go slack jawed. "I didn't realize you were Cat Noir or else I would have answered your flirtations more but I couldn't cos I was already in love with Adrien, I didn't realize I was in love with the same person."

"Wait so my lady does love me just not the me she sees regularly?" Adrien asked confused. "I love you too Ladybug, I have since the day we first met and saved Paris from Stoneheart."

"But you love Ladybug not the girl under the mask." Marinette said with a sad sigh confessing her fears to Adrien and hanging her head so as to not look at him. "But seeing as I know who you are it's only fair I trust you with my secret no matter how much it will hurt when you find out who I am. Tikki, spots off."

Marinette closed her eyes as she hung her head and felt her transformation fall away to reveal her plain self to Adrien. Now it was time for the rejection she feared.

"Marinette?" Adrien said and Marinette nodded not bothering to open her eyes as tears began to form in them and threaten to spill out from her closed eyes. She only opened them when she felt Adrien's arms encircle her, pull her close and hold her.

"I'm so sorry I never realized." Adrien whispered in her ear. "But do not fear, I still love you regardless of the mask. I always knew the girl behind it would be someone special, someone deserving and I cannot think of anyone more deserving to wear it than you."

"But I'm nothing like Ladybug in real life." Marinette said finally opening her eyes and looking up at Adrien. "I'm plain, nervous, clumsy and not strong when I am not Ladybug."

"Marinette, no one has the heart and kindness you have." Adrien said to her. "You are the perfect Ladybug I just wished I had seen it sooner."

"But..." Marinette began.

"Never doubt yourself Marinette." Adrien said cutting her off. "You are amazing and I know that even without the mask I love you. I fell in love with Ladybug the day I met her regardless of her mask."

"I love you too Adrien, I have since the moment you gave me your umbrella and showed me you weren't like Chloe." Marinette said smiling for the first time as she looked into his eyes. "With or without the mask though don't take this is an endorsement of your terrible puns."

Before Marinette could think or babble any further Adrien had bent down and kissed her. She lost herself in it and in his arms as she put hers around the back of his neck. It was everything she had ever wanted and more. She couldn't think of a more romantic place to share her first kiss with the boy she loved, her first proper kiss ever, than atop the Eiffel Tower under a starry, clear night right after she had finally declared her love for him and found out he loved her back. It was perfect.

 **Hope y'all enjoyed the second installment in Miraculous Revelations. As usual priority for next week's oneshot theme will be given to suggestions made to me in reviews but if there is no suggestions then I will use one of the ideas I have planned out. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	3. Cold

**Here is the third oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This one is based of the first suggestion in the reviews by Whovianeverlark17 after last week's chapter, next week's chapter will be based of a later suggestion. This chapter delves into a fannon theory regarding Ladybug and her tendencies while transformed and while I usually stick to the cannon as much as possible with stories I do deviate from time to time (Tokka and Hermione bashing mainly). The concept worked well for this story so I ran with it. So sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot, Cold.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Cold** **\- During the coldest winter on record for Paris, Marinette discovers, too late, that there is more to Ladybug than she expected. Fortunately for Marinette she had Cat Noir nearby to help, unfortunately for her she was about to time out and there was no way to avoid Cat Noir finding out. What will Adrien do when he finds out who his lady is and while saving Marinette finding out another one of Marinette's 'secrets'?  
**

* * *

 **Cold**

It was early December and Marinette was very cold and for some reason slightly drowsy. She wasn't too tired to do her job but she knew she was a step behind her usual skill. It was the coldest winter in Paris on record and the snow was already thick across the city. It was so cold that the Seine had frozen over in places. Of course that was not Marinette's current concern, that was reserved for the very angry, akumatized villain currently trying to destroy the Grand Paris hotel.

From what she had been able to gather was that the man had been a snow plow driver who had had the misfortune of spraying Chloe Bourgeois and her ridiculously expensive snow gear when she had been on her way home from school. As a result she had ensured that he was publicly fired by her farther on the spot, right before the holiday season had begun. Naturally the humiliation had lead to the man becoming akumatized into a swirling blizzard like akuma who blew snow everywhere along with his sentient snow plow. As what seemed to becoming a norm for akuma attacks in Paris, Hawk Moth's victim was trying to get Chloe first and their miraculouses second.

"So what are we dealing with, m'lady?" Cat Noir asked from the perch atop a nearby building the duo were using to view and study the akuma.

"Standard pissed off at Chloe Bourgeois akuma." Marinette said to her partner as she tried to prevent a yawn. "Wants her to pay for what she did so naturally she is holed up in her penthouse and denying everything."

"Ah so protocol 2 then." Cat Noir stated.

"Yup." Marinette said sighing that after almost 2 years of crime fighting they had developed strategies for different types of akuma attacks and that the second most common strategy involved having to save Chloe Bourgeois from a pissed of akuma who she was responsible for. "Go distract him by stating Chloe was in the right and I'll search for the akuma though I can't see it."

"Perhaps it is in the snow plow." Cat stated just as a miniature blizzard was created by said snow plow. "It was after all what he was using when he accidentally pissed Chloe off."

"True." Marinette said realizing that Cat Noir was probably right. "In that case I will distract him while you use your cataclysm to destroy it and hopefully release the akuma."

"Of course m'lady." Cat Noir said with a smile. "I shall snow it who's the boss."

Marinette just groaned at the pun as Cat Noir vaulted off the roof, slowed his descent with his staff and began running towards the snow plow. Throwing her yo-yo Marinette leapt of the roof and swung at the akuma. Her tiredness made her a shade too slow for some reason and the akuma saw her approaching. Before she could react she was blown upwards by a powerful gust of snowy air. Marinette landed hard on the cold roof of Paris's most exclusive hotel and lay there stunned, too tired to move.

"What is going on with me?" She whispered to herself. "I'm never usually this tired when fighting. Can't think of that right now though, just have to end this now and get home as quickly as possible. Lucky charm!"

Marinette threw her yo-yo up in her special move and what came down was a small portable space heater.

"Now what am I supposed to do with this?" She asked herself just as Cat Noir landed hard beside her on the roof.

"Warm us up m'lady." Cat groaned from beside her. "Though you could warm me up any day."

"No time for chit chat kitty." Marinette reproached as she approached the edge of the roof and looked down. Instantly her vision lost color and she saw the akuma flash in a ladybug pattern, followed by the snow plow and then Cat's right hand and it hit her.

"Cat when I throw this down at him follow it." Marinette ordered as she turned it on to heat up. "Then use your cataclysm on the snow plow."

"I'd fall for you anytime m'lady." Cat Noir said with a wink as Marinette threw the space heater off the roof.

She watched as Cat followed it down, activated his cataclysm in mid air and dive through the hole the heater created to land on the snow plow and destroy it with his power. Marinette jumped down after him using her yo-yo to slow her descent and land in time to see a small purple/black butterfly emerge from the disintegrated snow plow. Activating her yo-yo's purifying function Marinette quickly captured the butterfly.

"Time to de-evilize." Marinette said as she caught it and then tapped the yo-yo so that a pure white butterfly flew out. "Bye bye little butterfly."

Marinette then moved over to the mangled space heater and threw it into the air though not as high as usually as she was still more lethargic than usual.

"Miraculous ladybug!" she shouted as she threw the heater into the air and a swarm of ladybugs appeared and magically repaired all the damages.

"Pound it." The pair said as they fist bumped to celebrate a mission well done.

Suddenly two sets of beeping signified that their miraculous were about to time out. Quickly they ascended to the nearest rooftop, Marinette a shade behind Cat Noir. As soon as they landed on the snow covered roof Marinette felt her legs go out from under her and she collapsed to the roof exhausted and more drained than she had ever been. Marinette realized with a jolt of fear what was about to happen and that she needed help right away.

"Cat Noir!" She shouted causing her partner to turn and look at her in confusion.

"Why are you lying in the snow, bugaboo?" He asked concern in his voice.

"I don't know but I'm too tired to continue." She said yawning. "I don't know if I'll..."

She didn't finish her sentence before exhaustion and fatigue took her and she fell asleep right there in the snow. Her last thought was that what had just happened was not natural and that she was absolutely fucked in more ways than one.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked concerned as he approached his partner and the girl he loved.

It wasn't like her to pass out like this after a battle. Before he could do anything there was a finally series of beeps and Ladybug transformed back into her civilian form right in front of Adrien. Lying on the cold snow was the last person he expected to see, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was sleeping on the snow and clearly getting colder by the second as a small pink kwami with black spots floated tiredly over her looking shocked and dismayed. Despite Marinette being asleep, Adrien was sure it wasn't a natural sleep.

"No no no this was not supposed to happen." The kwami said in a feminine voice tinged with panic. "It's too cold here for her sleep."

The kwami suddenly looked up and saw Adrien staring open mouthed at the revelation that the girl he was in love with was his shy, yet impressive, classmate Marinette. He had no idea how to react to this revelation or what to think other than Marinette should not be asleep in the snow.

"Adrien!" The kwami said flying into his face. "You are about to transform back and you need to get Marinette home. I'll explain everything once we get there but if you don't act now she's going to freeze to death."

Snapping into action Adrien acted without question. He picked up Marinette and hauled her over one shoulder so that she was in place before he used his staff to travel as fast as he could straight to her house, given the conditions he wasn't as fast as he would have liked. As soon as he landed on her roof top Marinette's kwami flew out of her bag where she had gone as soon as Adrien had picked Marinette up. The kwami was holding a small key that she used to open the trap door that lead to Marinette's room. Adrien got her down and shut the trapdoor just in time before he transformed back and Plagg flew out and right into a wall with a distinctive thud.

Adrien wasted no time in removing Marinette's blazer that she always wore and her shoes before tucking her into bed and wrapping her up so that she was warm. He wasn't going to undress her any further without her permission.

"My eyes." Plagg yelled causing Adrien to look over to she his kwami covering his eyes near the wall he had just face planted while Marinette's kwami giggled. "I'm blind, there's too much pink. I'm in hell."

"Plagg calm down your in Marinette's room." Adrien said as he went down the stairs from Marinette's lofted bed and sat on her chaise lounge. "Come here I have some cheese."

Plagg calmed down at the mention of cheese and as soon as Adrien produced and unwrapped a piece of smelly Camembert the little, black, kwami was all over it.

"My gooeyness." Plagg crooned lovingly as he caressed the cheese tenderly.

Adrien watched as Marinette's kwami floated over eating a chocolate chip cookie that Marinette likely kept somewhere in the room for her kwami after an akuma attack. She did look a lot like a ladybug version of a kwami just as Plagg looked like a black cat in kwami form. She gave Plagg an amused, loving, look before floating over to Adrien.

"Thank you Adrien." She said as she hovered in front of him. "I am Tikki, Marinette's kwami by the way. Without you she would have likely frozen to death on the roof as there was nothing I could have done once she transformed back, my energy was too low. I know you two are not supposed to know each other's secret identities but this was an emergency and unavoidable. Thank you."

"Why did she collapse like that?" Adrien asked the kwami. "I've never seen her like that. Normally she's so strong and confident, at least as Ladybug."

"Oh she's like that as Marinette as well." Tikki said with a smile. "Or else Master Fu would have never given her the Ladybug Miraculous. You just haven't had a chance to see her as such, but you will I know it. As for why she just collapsed well there is a simple explanation for that. Have you ever noticed how you exhibit some catlike characteristics when you are Cat Noir?"

"Yeah I have." Adrien said with a look of confusion and a glance at his kwami who was currently trying to make out with the Camembert. "I occasionally purr, hate water, am more curious and get chased by the odd dog. Plagg just said its normal."

"It is." Tikki said. "Though he should have been more thorough about explaining it. The Cat Miraculous is the force of destruction and as such effects its owner with catlike qualities when transformed from time to time as a side effect of the magic. The Ladybug Miraculous has a similar side effect of giving its holder tendencies that ladybugs have naturally though not as obvious as the Cat Miraculous does. One such tendency is that ladybugs are effected by the cold. It makes them slow, lethargic, exhausted and eventually causes them to fall asleep."

"But we fought Santa Claws last year without a problem." Adrien pointed out.

"Yes but it wasn't cold enough then." Tikki pointed out. "It takes weather as cold as tonight to cause any effect in Ladybug. It's been so long since I have been in weather cold enough to cause such an effect that I forgot it could happen. I should have warned Marinette about this but I forgot. Thankfully you were there to save her."

"Yes but I didn't want to find out her identity this way." Adrien said. "I wanted her to tell me when she felt the time was right to trust me with it."

"This was an emergency." Tikki said. "Besides I'm pretty sure she would have told you soon. Plagg and I have know who the other Miraculous holder was since the fight with the Dark Owl and eventually we would have made sure you two found out who the other was for various reasons, but yes Marinette wasn't ready just yet. This changes everything."

"Your telling me." Adrien said. "I don't want her to know that I know and she doesn't. I trust her Tikki, hell I'm pretty sure I love her, so I will stay to make sure she is ok and that she knows that I am Cat Noir."

As Adrien was speaking he was looking around the room and then paused when his gaze fell on the wall under her lofted bed. On the wall were several pictures and posters of him from various ads and shoots he had done. There was also a framed picture of him on her desk and her screensaver was on showing a collage of pictures of him with pink hearts around his face. To top it all off there was a bottle of _Adrien_ fragrance on a side table. Adrien may have been a typical guy and very oblivious but even he could get the hint when the metaphorical sledge hammer smacked him in the face.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tikki was saying as Adrien was looking at the pictures. "She wouldn't mind if you knew and she didn't, she thinks it will be safer if you both know but that's out of the window now so only one knowing would be the next best option. Adrien … Adrien?"

"Er Tikki why does Marinette seem to have a shrine to me?" Adrien asked struggling to find a better word to describe what he was seeing.

"What?" Tikki asked and then realized where he was looking and her eyes went wide. "Merde. Marinette will not be happy when she wakes but seeing as the cats keeps coming out of the bag I see no reason why I shouldn't tell you."

"Does Marinette like me?" Adrien asked voicing his suspicion. "As in like me like me."

"It would be more accurate to say that she loves you." Tikki said shocking Adrien even more.

"I never realized." Adrien said quietly after he recovered from his shock. "I never pegged her for that kinda fan girl. You know like how Chloe only has a crush on me cos I'm famous and have as elite a social standing as her but I never thought Marinette would be like that. She always struck me as shy, kind, loyal, and confident in her own right. At least that's what's I could tell from a distance as I know she was always nervous around me. Though when she was focused on something like fashion that she enjoyed her nerves went away and I got a glimpse of the real Marinette."

"She doesn't love you for the same shallow, vapid, reasons Chloe likes you." Tikki said. "She likes you for the real you. The kind, formal, loyal boy who always puts others' needs above his own and never shows his status the way Chloe does. Yes Marinette was afraid that you would be like that at first but she soon realized that you were different after you gave her your umbrella. She fell for you then and has been in love with you ever since. It's why she's so tongue tied and nervous around you. She's too afraid of her feelings not being reciprocated that she seizes up around you. I have a feeling that's going to be different now."

"Oh." Adrien said thinking about Marinette for the first time in a new light. Well it wasn't so much a new light as a different one as he was in love with Ladybug and Marinette was Ladybug so that meant he must love Marinette. He had voiced as much earlier but now that he really thought about it he realized it was true.

"You know I'm in love with Ladybug right?" Adrien said to Tikki.

"Yes it was pretty obvious plus Plagg told me after we found out each other's miraculous holder." Tikki said causing Plagg to look up from his cheese at this before he returned to it with a shrug, ignoring them. "He mentioned how much you loved Ladybug and I pointed out how much Marinette loved you. It was amusing the dynamics. It was one reason why we wanted you two to find out each other's identities so we could end this weird, two person, love square thing."

"I bet Plagg enjoyed that." Adrien said glancing over at his kwami.

"Well it was amusing that you were both in love with each other and didn't realize it." Plagg said before returning to the cheese.

"Thanks." Adrien said as he looked over the pictures of him again. He personally didn't like them that much but seeing them on Marinette's wall made him happy for some reason. He was glad that someone saw them in a different light and it touched him.

"Besides it's not like Adrien doesn't have his own collection of Ladybug pics in his room." Plagg added.

"Yes I do." Adrien admitted. "Though I make sure they are hidden from everyone else, especially given the amount of times Ladybug is in my room. I'm amazed I didn't see it sooner though. Marinette even looks a little like Ladybug. I guess this means I love Marinette, right?"

"Marinette is Ladybug and Ladybug is Marinette." Tikki confirmed with a happy nod. "You fell for Ladybug but there wouldn't be a Ladybug without Marinette just as there wouldn't be a Cat Noir without an Adrien. The masks allow you to explore more to your personalities that you wouldn't normally be comfortable showing but you are still the same person. Marinette is all that you love in Ladybug and more."

"I believe you Tikki." Adrien said. "And I intend to find out no matter how long it takes."

"It shouldn't take that long." Tikki said with a smile. "She's been waiting a long time for you."

Unbeknownst to Adrien and the two kwamis Marinette had woken up while they had been talking about her pictures of Adrien. She had wanted to get out of bed and see what was up until she heard Adrien's voice talking about her pictures of him and froze in fear. Her first reaction was then; 'why am I in the my room, the last thing I remember was passing out in the snow.' Her second came when she identified the human voice as that of her crush Adrien and she thought 'what the fuck was Adrien doing in her room'. Her third reaction was 'oh shit Adrien's found my mural to him, I'm going to die from embarrassment'. Then the more she listened the more confused and embarrassed she got.

As she listened she heard Tikki tell Adrien of her feelings for him. It was hard to deny them if Adrien was looking at the pictures after all. The bottle if _Adrien_ didn't help as it was a man's fragrance and she had no reason to own it. This made her fear and embarrassment battle each other for the honor of which would kill her first.

Then she heard Adrien's admittance of love for Ladybug and her hear rate sped up faster than she thought was humanly possible. If Adrien was talking to Tikki then there was no doubt that he knew she was Ladybug, though she had no idea how he could have found out, and that meant that at some level he loved her. But he couldn't love Marinette, Marinette was plain, boring, awkward and clumsy while Ladybug was confident, powerful, graceful and competent. The more she listened however the more she realized that Adrien was in love with her as well as Ladybug. She would owe Tikki a lifetime supply of cookies for what her kwami was telling Adrien, if she didn't die from her embarrassment that was.

There was still a nagging thought that bugged Marinette. Why was Adrien here? Then she realized the reason why Adrien was in her room, just as Tikki confirmed it. Adrien was Cat Noir. She must have passed out in front of Cat Noir and transformed back into Marinette in front of him. Then Tikki would have ordered him to take her home to save her from the cold, it would explain why she was now warm and in bed, and he did. Cat would have been on the brink of changing back due to using his cataclysm after her lucky charm, which meant only one thing. Adrien, the love of her life, was Cat Noir. Cat Noir loved Ladybug and she loved Adrien. This love square problem was giving her a headache but she could just about make it out. Still it didn't stop her from giving an audible groan at the headache it was causing her. The noise caused Adrien and the two kwamis in her room to suddenly be quiet and she knew she had given away her alertness.

"I can see." Adrien was saying as he looked over the photos. "Some of these photos are pretty old. I'll ask her out as soon as she has..."

Adrien was cut off by a groan from Marinette's bed. That meant that Marinette was awake. Without thinking Adrien rushed up the small ladder thing to Marinette's bed followed by a speeding Tikki and a lethargic, bored, Plagg to see if she was ok. As soon as he got to her bedside he realized she was awake and staring at him with the same bluebell eyes Ladybug had that he always got lost in.

"Adrien?" Marinette asked a little weaker than usual. "What are you doing here?"

"Well you passed out in the snow so I picked you up and took you home so that you wouldn't freeze to death." Adrien said with a smile before adding. "M'lady."

It was confirmation of what she had heard below. Adrien was Cat Noir, Adrien loved her, Adrien was in her room while she was dressed and in bed, Adrien had seen her pictures of him. Instantly she went red and couldn't speak.

"It was an emergency Marinette." Tikki said flying over to hug her cheek and blend into the red of Marinette's cheeks before pulling away to continue. "The cold made you sleepy and with your energy drained from using your lucky charm you couldn't fight the ladybug nature and you passed out. Cat Noir, Adrien, was there and he saved you cos I couldn't have done anything other than watch. He stayed to make sure you were ok and so that you knew who he was."

Marinette was touched that Adrien had stayed and allowed her to find out that he was Cat Noir after he had learned that she was Ladybug. It was the thing only Adrien would do and one of the many reasons why she loved him so much. Suddenly she sat up remembering the time.

"How long have I been out." She said in a panic. "And my parents, are they still asleep, worried, angry that a boy is in my room without their knowledge? And what about your father Adrien?"

"Relax Marinette." Adrien said in a soothing voice that instantly caused her to calm down. "You have only been out for an hour or so."

"Yeah cold may put you to sleep but it is not a typical sleep." A black catlike kwami said floating over to her. "Name's Plagg by the way, I'm Adrien's kwami, though that's pretty obvious."

"Pleasure to meet you Plagg." Marinette said studying the other kwami. "What do you mean by not a typical sleep."

"The miraculous side effects only truly effect the holder while the holder is transformed." Plagg said. "I should know seeing as there are more pronounced side effects with me than with Tikki. Anyway they only last while transformed so when you de-transformed you lost the side effects. You were already asleep but as your body warmed up you woke up from the sleep. Hence why you were only out for an hour or so and aren't particularly tired anymore."

"Oh ok." Marinette said slightly confused. She would have to talk about all this with Tikki later when she was alone with her kwami.

"As for your parents they seem to be heavy sleepers." Adrien said. "But to be safe we have all been quiet while up here."

"They are." Marinette confirmed. "But what about you? Wouldn't your dad worry?"

"My dad doesn't care." Adrien said with a note of bitterness. "As soon as he thinks I am asleep he leaves me. I can actually slip out easier at night than I can during the day. Now enough about our parents. Do you care to explain your pictures of me Marinette? Cos if you wanted pictures of me, or us, all you had to do was ask."

Marinette was sad to hear the bitterness between Adrien and his father but that went away as soon as she he mentioned her pictures. She went as red as Tikki, again, and utterly lost her voice. Realizing there was no way out of it she decided it was best to be honest with Adrien and confirm to him what he already knew.

"Cos I like you." She said in a whisper. "Well no, like isn't a strong enough word for how I feel. I-I love you."

"Well we will have to make some more pictures, though this time of us and not just me." Adrien said as he sat down on her bed and pulled Marinette towards him and whispering. "Because I love you too, bugaboo."

Before Marinette could say anything Adrien had pulled her in for a kiss. It was soft, gentle and hesitant at first, just like Adrien, but as it deepened she felt him pouring all his love into her and she responded in kind. It was perfect and she lost herself in the moment. Unfortunately it ended too soon for her liking.

"I look forward to doing that some more." Adrien said with a smile as he pulled back and looked her in her eyes. "Because I intend to take you out on a fancy date tomorrow night, if that's ok with you, m'lady."

All Marinette could do was nod. She wasn't sure her voice would ever return to her.

"Good." Adrien said as he stood up. "Unfortunately I have to get home and get some sleep and I don't think your parents will appreciate finding me here in the morning. I will be by tomorrow around 7 to pick you up for out date."

"Ok." Marinette managed to get out as her brain finally recovered from the fact that Adrien had kissed her and realized he had just asked her out on a date.

"See you soon, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile. "Plagg, claws out!"

In a moment Cat Noir stood in front of Marinette. He gave her a salute before he climbed through the trapdoor to her balcony and closed it so as to disappear into the night. It wasn't until after Adrien had gone that everything hit Marinette.

"Adrien just kissed me." She said to Tikki still shocked. "Adrien kissed me! And he asked me out and we are going on a date tomorrow. Wait I'm dating Adrien! Is this real Tikki? Please tell me its not another dream. It would be like the 5th time if it is a dream."

"Actually you have had a total of 27 dreams regarding Adrien asking you out that you have woken from." Tikki said helpfully. "You always wake me up as soon as you realize it's a dream so I began to keep count. But this time you aren't dreaming, it's real Marinette. Adrien knows your Ladybug, he saved your life today, you know he's Cat Noir. Then you both finally confessed your love for each other, solved the love square between you, he kissed you and then asked you out and you said yes."

"Good so for once I'm not dreaming." Marinette said looking at Tikki who nodded. "So can I faint now."

"Yes Marinette you can faint." Tikki said with a kind smile and Marinette smiled at her kwami in return before she allowed everything that had just happened to overload her system and she collapsed back on her pillow, once again unconscious.

Tikki just smiled as she made sure Marinette was tucked in before going to her own little bed to sleep. Finally everything was in the open and their love could blossom as it was meant to. With these thoughts Tikki too fell asleep knowing that tomorrow would be a big day for many reasons.

 **Sorry this was a little longer than intended but it was all needed and hopefully it worked. Next week's chapter will be based on another review suggestion from last week but keep the suggestions up as I intend to try and write as many suggestions as possible. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	4. Motives

**Here is my fourth oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Due to my schedule this fic will be uploaded a day earlier than usual as I will not be able to uploaded at the usual time but it will return to the usual Saturday at midnight EST next week. The prompt comes from a suggestion in the reviews by retroGrape following Inconsistencies. This chapter is almost twice as long as any other oneshot in this series but the length was needed to make the prompt work effectively, the next oneshot should be back to my usual word range. One thing to add here is that after last week's chapter there were some calls for a second part to "Cold" because of how it ended. While I may write a second part for "Cold" within this series, this series is focused on the discovery aspect and not the aftermath. If people want second parts to various oneshots I am considering creating a sister fic to this called "Miraculous Continuations" where second parts will be uploaded based on a request basis. Let me know in reviews or PMs if you're interested in this sister fic. Anyway enough admin shit, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot, Motives.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Motives** **\- When Adrien discovers who Ladybug is he decides to get to know her better in real life and see if a relationship there can bloom. Meanwhile Marinette is both thrilled and confused as to why Adrien is suddenly taking an interest in her. With her insecurity motivating her, Marinette questions her crush's motives for wanting to spend time with her. When Ladybug confesses this, in vague terms, to Cat Noir it sets in motion a chain of events that leads Marinette to a confrontation, belief, and revelation that she never saw coming.  
**

* * *

 **Motives**

 ** _One week ago_**

" _You're about to time out, m'lady." Adrien said to Ladybug as her earrings began to beep._

" _Right. Well see you later kitty." Ladybug said as she swung away._

" _Can't wait, bugaboo." Adrien said to the air that Ladybug had vacated._

 _Adrien sighed. Someday Ladybug would be his but all in good time, he had the patience to wait for her. They had just defeated another akuma that Chloe was responsible for and it was time to go back to school as the attack had been a daytime attack. The only thing was that the akuma had been so easy to defeat that Adrien had not needed to use his cataclysm so he was safe from timing out for a bit. He decided to transform in the locker room where he kept some spare Camembert for Plagg and where he was sure he would get some privacy._

 _Using his staff to travel as fast as he could to the school, Adrien climbed in through a window in the boys bathroom, dropped into a stall and making sure the bathroom was clear he transformed back into himself, Plagg silently flying into his jacket. Opening the door slowly to make sure no one was around to see Adrien randomly come out a bathroom he never entered he headed to his locker._

 _Suddenly Adrien heard a noise near his locker that caused him to stop and hide behind a row of lockers. Someone had just entered the locker room from a window, he was sure of it. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when he hear someone speak._

" _Tikki, spots off." The voice said._

 _Adrien's breath caught in his throat. He knew that phrase, it the phrase Ladybug used when she transformed back to civilian form. He had heard it once before when they had faced Dark Owl and been force to de-transform in front of each other, with their eyes closed, so as to fool Dark Owl. His heartbeat increased as he realized that his love, his lady, was at the same school as he was. Now was the perfect chance to find out who she was. However, Adrien knew that Ladybug didn't want him to find out so what was he to do? That problem answered itself before he had a chance._

 _As Adrien was contemplating what to do, Marinette poked her head out from the area where Ladybug had transformed and looked around, fortunately not in Adrien's direction at first. Adrien slunk further into the locker room stunned. Marinette was behaving in a way that was indicative of someone checking to see if they had been seen doing something they shouldn't have done, he did the same when he transformed. He was almost certain that he had suddenly and accidentally found out who his lady was._

" _Few Tikki that was close." Adrien heard Marinette say, confirming his suspicions that she was Ladybug. "Come on, lets go back to class."_

 _Before Adrien could come up with an idea, Marinette left the locker room. Adrien sighed in relief that he had not been caught but then realized that the woman he was in love with was Marinette Dupain-Cheng._

" _What do I do now?" Adrien whispered to himself as he headed to his locker to get Plagg some cheese._

 _His kwami didn't reply, just flew into his locker to find some cheese and pig out after a successful akuma battle. Adrien smiled at what he had just learned. Now he had a face to his lady. He wanted to instantly ask Marinette out but he decided to take it slow. He loved Ladybug and he was sure that meant that he loved Marinette as she was Ladybug. He knew that the masks of Ladybug and Cat Noir allowed for them to be more natural then in their civilian life but he still didn't know Marinette well. Sure he liked her as a friend but he barely knew her. They had spent time together a few times and he had seen more that the shy, clumsy, awkward girl he usually saw but now he was seeing her in a different light and he needed to make sure his feelings for here were right. He expected that he did indeed love Marinette but he wanted to be sure of it.  
_

 _Adrien made a pledge to himself to get to know Marinette better and hopefully something would develop between them. He didn't think Marinette liked him more than a friend, though a handsome one at that based on her own admission during the fencing tryouts, but if he could get to know Ladybug's civilian life then maybe he would succeed in getting her to fall for him. He would keep her identity a secret and not reveal his own due to her desires that they not know each other's identities but that didn't stop him from trying to get to know Marinette even more. With that commitment in his mind Adrien grabbed Plagg as his kwami finished some cheese and left the locker room. He had a girl to get to know better._

* * *

 **Present Day**

Marinette was very confused. Happy, surprised and still a bumbling, clumsy, awkward mess but still very confused. In the last week Adrien had made a very noticeable effort to spend more time with her, not the other way around. Normally she was the one who was doing anything and everything she could to try and spend more time with Adrien even if she couldn't get a coherent sentence out around him but now he was the one spending time with her. It was very confusing and Marinette had no idea why Adrien was doing it.

He would sit with her at lunch, not so surprising seeing as their respective best friends were dating, but he would engage her in conversation more than usual. Usually she tried to talk to him, failed, got embraced, clammed up and then went red when Adrien would smile warmly at her. He also took an interest in her likes, complemented her fashion and even suggested he could show his father a few of her designs, much to her pleasure and fear. He would also show up occasionally at her bakery, with his bodyguard, to startle her and then talk to her for a while before buying anything.

Alya and Tikki had told her it was a good sign, maybe Adrien was finally seeing her in a similar way to how she saw him, though likely not as deeply yet given the fact that she was in love with him, but it was a start. They were both as confused as Marinette was and apparently Nino seemed to know nothing about that as well but Alya had told her not to question it and just go with it, maybe Marinette would gain more confidence around Adrien because of it.

The problem was that Marinette couldn't drop it. She was to confused with the sudden change and wanted answers right away. She wanted to know what Adrien's motives where for this sudden interest in her before she would even consider admitting her feelings to him. She had to investigate Adrien's motives and find the truth, an easy task given her deep knowledge of his schedule. Marinette knew it was her insecurities that were to blame for this but she couldn't help it, she wanted to be sure that Adrien's motives were pure.

That was what Marinette had been doing for the last few days in her off time, studying Adrien's schedule. She had been looking into Adrien even more than usual and was noticing a few odd things. First was that he was still keeping to his busy schedule but using his breaks to try and spend time with her, something she was making easier given the fact that she knew when his breaks were and despite her confusion and insecurity she did enjoy the time she spent with him and wanted to maximize it. However it was the second thing her investigation turned up that made her want to delve deeper into the rabbit hole that was Adrien's motives.

Every time there was an akuma attack, 3 in the last week with 2 coming during Marinette's investigation into Adrien's motives, Adrien would disappear at the start of the attack and then reappear at the end claiming to have either been a victim or hiding. Furthermore, she had never seen him with Cat Noir. It was confusing and an oddity she had never realized before as she had always been so focused on defeating the akumas or protecting Adrien when he was the target of the akuma. It was something else to think about but not right now. She still had yet to uncover why Adrien seemed to be interested in her and it was bugging her. She decided that tonight she would, in loose terms, explain the situation to Cat Noir and get his opinion on the matter when they met for their nightly patrol.

When night fell Marinette transformed into Ladybug and left via her roof to go and meet Cat Noir for their nightly patrol. Tonight they were meeting atop the Louvre to begin their patrol. As always he was there before she was, idly leaning on a railing while twirling the belt that served as a tail of sorts, she still didn't understand that part of his costume, smiling at her as she landed on the roof.

"Evening m'lady." Cat Noir said taking her hand to kiss it.

"Not now kitty we have work to do." Marinette said pulling her hand away a little less playfully than usual.

"What's the matter bugaboo?" Cat Noir asked. "You seem worried about something."

"Just a little confused that's all." Marinette sighed as she took a seat on the railing. It was time to talk to Cat Noir. "Cat, can I tell you something."

"Of course, m'lady." Cat Noir said sitting down next to her. "Cat's are excellent listeners."

"Ok good." Marinette said not knowing or caring about the listening habits of cats. "Because I have been a little distracted with my civilian life. Naturally I can't give details so as to not tip you off to who I am or would ever ask you to do the same."

"I understand." Cat said, he was being inquisitive which was good for Marinette as he may help. She did like the fact that he had the curiosity of a real cat.

"Well in my civilian form I am very different from what I am like when I am Ladybug." Marinette said and then held up a hand so that Cat Noir wouldn't interrupt. "Please let me finish Cat, then you can give your opinion." Cat Noir nodded at her so she continued. "And I assume you are very different as well when not Cat Noir. But when I'm not Ladybug I'm not strong, confident and controlled but rather I'm shy, clumsy and awkward. Anyway I am in love with this boy in my class. He's perfect, handsome, talented, kind, generous and always there for his friends. It's why I love him and not because of his money or fame. The problem is that I am always a mess around him, I can barely get a sentence out around him unless I am distracted by something, and I can't find the courage to tell him how deeply I feel about him. Until recently we rarely hung out outside of when we had to, or when I arranged a chance meeting, but suddenly, about a week ago he took an interest in me. Don't get me wrong I am very happy with this but at the same time I am very confused as to his motives for wanting to spend time with me. I want to tell him how I feel but I am too afraid to do so until I know why he has suddenly taken an interest in me. I know I am being insecure but I can't help it and I don't know what to do. Any ideas kitty?"

Marinette had been looking into Cat Noir green, catlike, eyes while she had been talking to gauge his non verbal response to her words. This had been because she knew Cat had feelings for her and she was admitting to being in love with someone else but there was just no one else she trusted enough to talk to about this. To her surprise only at the start was there hurt in Cat's eyes. That hurt changed to confusion, then recognition as if he knew she was talking about Adrien, then happiness for some reason and finally concern at her desire to look into Adrien's motives. It was an odd series of reactions and only added to Marinette's confusion.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Cat Noir finally asked in a more serious tone then he usually used.

"Yes." Marinette said with conviction. "I want to know what is motivating him to act like this before I can be satisfied. I know I'm being insecure and should be thrilled that he is taking an interest in me, which I am by the way, but I can't help it."

"Well maybe he's doing this because he likes you." Cat Noir said causing Marinette's heart to speed up at the thought of Adrien reciprocating her feelings for him. "It is the simplest explanation. If you like him back then why fight it. Just tell him how you feel, I'm sure he will feel the same way about you."

"I know that's the simplest explanation but it's not enough to alleviate my insecurities." Marinette said. "He's only seen me as a good friend until this point and I want to know why the change but I can't ask him as I still struggle to get a coherent sentence out around him."

"But what if you find out something about him that shocks you." Cat Noir pointed out. "Like he could have a secret he wouldn't want you to find out."

"Oh don't worry there's nothing about him that could shock me." Marinette said causing Cat Noir to go wide eyed and fearful for a moment but it was gone before she could wonder why it had been there to begin with so she continued. "I already know everything about him other than what has motivated this welcome change. Once I find that out then I will tell him how I feel."

"I just think you should tell him how you feel." Cat Noir said. "But I have a feeling I won't talk you out of this."

"No you won't." Marinette said before sighing. "Thanks kitty for letting me get this off my chest, it has helped a bit. Anyway it's getting late and there doesn't appear to be an akuma attack coming so I am going to turn in for the night, see you tomorrow."

Before Cat Noir could reply Marinette had already thrown her yo-yo and swung away. Yes he hadn't provided her with anything she didn't already know but it felt good to tell someone her worries and she knew Cat Noir would not be able to figure out who she was from this. Now all she had to do was redouble her efforts to find out what was motivating Adrien to take an interest in her.

* * *

Adrien watched as Ladybug, Marinette, swung away from him and sighed. Why was her stubbornness so damn irresistible. He had known exactly who she had been talking about, she had been talking about him even if she didn't know that he knew who she had been referring to. It made him ecstatic that she felt the same way for him, at least when he was Adrien, as he did for her. Over the last week he had come to realize that Ladybug wouldn't be the person she was if she wasn't Marinette and that helped him realize that he loved her just as much as he loved Ladybug, they were the same person.

Now that he knew she wouldn't give up her quest to figure out why Adrien was interested in her, his motives being to get to know her and see if she is just like Ladybug after finding out her secret, he would have to act to try and end Marinette's investigation. He knew that Marinette did not want them knowing their secret identities but if she didn't stop her investigation she would find out he was Cat Noir and as such why he was interested in Marinette. He was afraid that that would ruin everything he was hoping for. She trusted Cat, he wanted her to trust him as Adrien as well and he would wait until she was ready to tell him her secret for him to tell her his. As much as he really wanted to tell her the truth, Adrien was going to respect Marinette's wishes to keep their secret identities secret. He was not supposed to know but he had accidentally found so he would honor her wishes and wait until she was ready.

Adrien decided the best way to end Marinette's investigation was to just take the plunge and ask Marinette out tomorrow. He would do it before school at the bakery when she opened up and then take her out that night. Now that he knew they both loved each other and technically didn't realize it, he was more motivated than ever to take her out. With that conviction Adrien extended his staff and took off home. It was time to try and cut off Marinette's investigation before it revealed truths she may not be ready for and to finally give into his feelings for her.

* * *

The next day Marinette was in the bakery in the morning before school helping set up and open up for her parents. She often did this as now it was harder for her to work after school what with her Ladybug responsibilities. She had just officially opened the store and laid out a tray of fresh pain au chocolats when the door opened and the bell chimed. Marinette looked up and almost dropped the tray of fresh macaroons she had just picked up and was about to lay out. Adrien was standing in the doorway, a nervous smile on his face and his bodyguard standing outside making sure the pair were alone.

As soon as she saw Adrien, Marinette remembered her conversation with Cat Noir the night before but she put that to the side. She was going to find out Adrien's motives before she confessed to him and yet again Adrien had showed up at the bakery when she wasn't expecting him. Calming herself and her beating heart as best she could, Marinette put down the tray of macaroons as she tried to control her blush that always appeared around her crush.

"Adrien, w-what a surprise, can you get me, I mean what can I get you?"

"How about a pain au chocolate." Adrien said with his usual endearing smile as he approached the counter and pulled out a few euro coins.

"Of course." Marinette said trying to keep calm. Even with all the extra attention Adrien had been giving her she was still very nervous around him.

"And I was wondering one more thing." Adrien said with a hint of nervousness that was both really cute and unlike him. Once again Marinette's heart sped up and she tried to reign in her hope that he was about to ask her what she had always hoped he would ask.

"W-what?" Marinette asked as her fear began to replace the hope at what she was expecting.

"Well I was wondering if you would let me take you out for dinner tonight?" Adrien asked as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "You know as in a date."

"YES! I love yo… I would love too." Marinette gushed out as soon as Adrien had asked and confirmed her deepest hopes. He did like her, she couldn't believe it.

"Excellent." Adrien said with a calmer smile and he seemed to visibly relax. "I will pick you up around 6:30 and where something nice, I want to treat you to something fancy."

"You don't have to." Marinette said quickly. "Really anything would be perfect so long as it is with you."

"Thanks but I want to make our first date special." Adrien said with a smile. "After that we can do more classic dates like movies or whatever normal dates are, this is actually my first ever date."

"Oh ok." Marinette said, she was pretty sure her body was about to shut down from everything that had just happened, especially after learning that this would Adrien's, and hers, first date.

"Er Marinette." Adrien said. "Can I have my pastry now?"

"What, oh sorry." Marinette said blushing even deeper as she handed over the pastry she was still holding and Adrien gave her a few coins.

"See you in class, but I will be thinking of tonight." Adrien said as he turned and left, a clear skip in his step.

Marinette waited until Adrien had left in his car before she exhaled. Adrien had just asked her out and they were going on a date. Tonight! He did like her and Marinette's brain was struggling to process it. The last thing she managed to think was that it was a major coincidence that Adrien had asked her out mere hours after she had confessed to Cat Noir about her situation but she didn't dwell on that as she had fainted by that point.

Fortunately she had not hurt herself when she had fainted. Unfortunately the fact that she was going on a date with Adrien that night meant that she was not able to concentrate during class. She was so shocked she had been unable to tell Alya what had happened though Alya seemed to know precisely why Marinette was unable to concentrate because after school was over she joined Marinette in her room and forced Marinette to spill the details.

As soon as Marinette told Alya about the date, Alya spent the next 2 hours getting her ready as Marinette had no idea what to wear. The hair and makeup alone took an hour of painful work while Alya made sure that Marinette looked perfect. This had followed an hour of making sure that she had the right dress, heals and accessory. Ultimately Alya had dressed Marinette, she had no say in the final outcome, in a floor length red dress with enough cleavage to be tantalizing but not too much to be immodest, two simple straps and black waistband that she could put her purse on. She added a matching pair of red heels that Marinette had to practice a bit in to ensure she could walk in them and a simple necklace. Alya had wanted to change Marinette's earrings but Marinette had drawn the line there as they were her Miraculous and she couldn't take them off. By the time Alya was done it was time for the date and within 5 minutes there was a ring at the door.

"Marinette there is a very handsome boy here to pick you up for your date tonight." Her mother called up, Marinette had told them about the date when her mother found her unconscious on the floor of the bakery that morning and they been ecstatic for her. Now Marinette had to get Adrien away from her parents before they could embarrass her.

"Coming." Marinette said trying to hide her already growing embarrassment at her parents as she descended the stairs slowly in her heels to see Adrien standing there, staring slack jawed at her.

He wasn't the only one who was stunned. Marinette had to concentrate hard not to fall down the stairs and not because of the heels she was wearing. No, Adrien was somehow looking even more handsome then ever. He was dressed in a pure black suit with a matching shirt, the top two buttons undone, and a green lapel pin the Agreste company logo. It all accented his green eyes really well in a way that made her think of Cat Noir for some reason and how his green eyes went well with his black costume.

As soon as Adrien had gotten over his shock he greeted her with a kiss on each cheek in the traditional French fashion causing Marinette to blush furiously from the contact and forget to kiss him back. After greeting her, Adrien offering her his arm, which she instantly took, and promising her parents to get her back by 10. Already the night had started out perfectly and it would continue being just as magical.

Adrien was a proper gentleman that night. His bodyguard drove them to the fanciest restaurant in the city that he somehow managed to get reservations for. Fortunately it was not at the Grand Paris Hotel so there was no threat of running into Chloe and her ruining their night out of jealousy and pure spite. After a superb diner that he paid for and held her hand during, they took a stroll along the Seine, arm in arm again, until they reached the Pont des Arts bridge, Adrien's bodyguard always shadowing them at a respectful distance. They stopped in the middle of the bridge, looking out over the Seine.

"I hope you had a good night, Marinette." Adrien said as he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close so that her head rested on his shoulder and she sighed in contentment.

"It was perfect." Marinette whispered and she meant it. It had been the perfect first date and she knew that Adrien felt the same way about her as she did about him.

"Well there is one more thing needed to make it perfect." Adrien said as he pulled out a padlock from an inside pocket. "I know this technically isn't a French custom but it sorta has become a Parisian one. I had this made today to cap off our date."

Marinette gasped at the love lock Adrien had produced. It was beautiful. One side was bright red with his name engraved in black while the other side was pitch black with her name engraved in red. Without a word they put the lock on a free section of the bridge and locked it before throwing the key into the Seine together.

"Now to make the evening purrfect." Adrien said in a low purr that sent shivers of pleasure down Marinette's spine.

Before she could say anything Adrien lowered his head to hers and kissed her right there in the middle of the bridge. She wasn't surprised, it was what she had been hoping for all night, and she quickly reciprocated, deepening her kiss with him. It was the perfect end to a perfect night, that was until a clock nearby struck 10 and ruined the moment.

"Merde." Marinette whispered as she pulled away from Adrien. "I have to get home."

"I know." Adrien said with a sigh. "I was hoping this night would never end but time is not on our side tonight."

The walked back to Marinette's house in a comfortable silence holding hands. It had been a wonderful night, better than in Marinette's wildest dreams. Once they got back to Marinette's they made plans for their second date, a simple dinner and a movie, and Adrien kissed her again before regretfully leaving her to go home. Marinette quietly let herself in, dodged her still awake, very happy and very inquisitive parents with a simple yawn and a promise to tell them all in the morning and headed back to her room. As soon as she got there she flopped down on her chaise lounge and sighed, not caring that her dress was going to get wrinkled.

"Tikki that was perfect." Marinette said smiling as her kwami flew out of her bag.

"See Marinette, we all told you there was nothing to worry about." Tikki said floating over to hover in front of Marinette's face. "There was no need to question Adrien's motives. He clearly finally came to his senses and asked you out and as you said it was a perfect night."

"His motives!" Marinette exclaimed sitting bolt upright. "I forgot about them. Tonight was perfect and I can't wait for the next date but I still need to find out why. I know it's irrational, I know I'm being insecure but I have to figure this out. I'm in too deep. Tikki it's time to be direct, we are going to his room to try and figure it out."

"Marinette do you really…" Tikki began before Marinette cut her off.

"Tikki, spots on." Marinette said and a moment later she was Ladybug.

Marinette had to pause in front of her mirror to sort out her hair which for some reason had remained in the style Alya had put it in and might give away her identity should Adrien see her. Then she left via the roof. Marinette swung as fast as she could through Paris towards the Agreste Mansion. She had called Cat Noir earlier, though he didn't pick up, to leave a message that there wouldn't be a patrol tonight so she didn't have to worry about running into him tonight. Now was time to the answers she wanted.

In minutes she had reached the outer wall of the mansion and looked towards Adrien's bedroom. The lights were off but the window was open meaning he was either not in yet or asleep with the window open. Either way she could sneak in and see what she could find out. She didn't have the night vision of Cat Noir but the moon was full that night so it should provide a good amount of illumination. This was not something she would normally do but after her date with Adrien that night she wanted to get to the bottom of his motives as soon as possible so that she could enjoy the fact that she was finally dating Adrien.

Easily bypassing the security system, Marinette quickly made her way into Adrien's room, via the window, and realized that he had yet to return here, likely explaining the date to his father. Only seconds after she entered the room she heard the door begin to open. Panicking Marinette jumped up and used her yo-yo to pull herself onto his balcony and crouched down to hide knowing Adrien wouldn't come up here at this hour.

Adrien walked in and instead of turning the main lights on he went to a bedside table and turned a small lamp on and pressed a remote to close the window. Marinette let out a silent sigh of relief that he was keeping the light to a minimum. Seconds later she had to stop breathing to avoid giving away her position as Adrian had stripped down to his boxers. It was a sight that made Marinette salivate and loose focus for a second before she realized that Adrien was speaking to someone.

"It was perfect Plagg." He was saying. "Better than I could have ever hoped for."

"I know, I was there Adrien." A male sounding voice replied and Marinette almost gasped again when she realized that it was a kwami speaking. "Though you know I don't like all this mushy romance. You could have slipped me some of that fine Camembert you got for desert though."

"Because, Plagg, I can't just slip my kwami, who Marinette is not supposed to know about, some stinky Camembert in the middle of our date." Adrien said.

"Fin but I still just don't get why you didn't tell her who you were last night when you realized she loved you and you loved her." The kwami said. "It would have saved a lot of hassle in my book."

"You know full well I couldn't." Adrien said in a slightly admonishing tone. "Marinette doesn't want anyone to know that she is Ladybug so I'm waiting until she is ready to reveal it to me. When she does trust me with that, then I will trust her with my secret. I just wish I had known that Marinette was Ladybug sooner, then we would already be a couple."

"Well only if you found out that Marinette was in love with Adrien." The kwami pointed out. "You had no clue about that fact until Ladybug told you last night. Though from what Tikki, her kwami, has told me Marinette wasn't particularly subtle about her feelings for you, you were just utterly oblivious."

"True but it still would have happened sooner or later." Adrien said. "You're right though, I may be oblivious but after thinking about it the more it makes sense that Marinette liked me. Well there's no point in dwelling on the past Plagg, we are both with each other now and very happy. I haven't been this happy since before my mother passed. In time I am sure she will trust Cat Noir with her secret and then I can trust her with mine."

Marinette hadn't been really listening to the conversation. All she had heard from he position was that Adrien knew she was Ladybug and the he was talking to a kwami, anything after that point went in one ear and out the other. Her fears that Adrien was Hawk Moth had come back and she began to fear that the only reason why Adrien had shown an interest in her was that he knew her secret and that he had figured out about her crush on him and was now using it to get close to her to get her miraculous.

Her fear meant that she didn't hear the kwami's name, the same name she had heard in that shipping container when Cat Noir transformed back to civilian attire, or the fact that if she had listened she would have realized that Adrien was Cat Noir. No her natural insecurities had taken over once again and she was thinking the worst. The only thing she could think of doing was surprising Adrien right now before he could transform, capturing him, and interrogating to find out the truth.

Her heart was telling her that what her brain was thinking was ludicrous but her brain wasn't listening to her heart and decided to act on its own. Before Marinette could process what was going on she had leapt over the indoor balcony railing, landed lightly on Adrien's floor and sent her yo-yo out at Adrien, capturing a very stunned looking, nearly naked Adrien and suspending him upside down in his own room, bound tightly by her magical yo-yo.

"Marinette what are you doing!" Adrien exclaimed as soon as he saw her standing in front of him. His use of her name caused her to stop and realize what she had just done.

"Adrien, how do you know who I am?" She said trying to keep the anger out of her voice, she needed to remain calm and rational right now. "Or should I say Hawk Moth."

"Hawk Moth?" Adrien asked completely confused. "Where? Is he here? Do you know who he is?"

"Aren't you Hawk Moth?" Marinette asked. Now she was confused because the expression on Adrien's upside down face clearly said that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"No." Adrien said.

"Then how do you know who I am?" She demanded.

"I was in the locker room after last week after we defeated that akuma during class and I heard Ladybug's de-transformation phrase." Adrien said causing even more confusion for Marinette when he had said 'we'. "Then a moment later you appeared with a kwami confirming you were Ladybug."

"Oh." Marinette said still not releasing Adrien, she had him in a position that meant that he would answer her questions so she could finally find out his motives for asking her out. "Wait who was the kwami you were talking to, how do you know about them and how do you know my transformation phrase?"

"The kwami I was talking to is mine." Adrien said as his face proceeded to get redder and redder from the blood flowing to it. "I know about them because I am Cat Noir. That's how I accidentally found out who you were, I never intended to find out. I had just transformed in the changing room when you arrived. As soon as I saw you were Ladybug, that you were the girl I have been in love with for over a year, ever since we first met as Ladybug and Cat Noir, I decided to get to know you better. I decided to get to know the Ladybug under the mask. I realized that you were the same person and that you couldn't have Ladybug without Marinette. That was when I knew I was in love with you Marinette. After our talk last night I decided to ask you out because I knew you were talking about me and that you therefore liked me as much, if not more, than I liked you and that it was time to ask you out."

"Then why did you try to persuade me to stop investigating you?" Marinette asked. She really wanted to believe Adrien and everything he was saying. Her heart told her he spoke the truth but her brain still needed persuading. "Why didn't you just tell me everything last night?"

"Because I knew you didn't want us to know our secret identities until you were ready." Adrien said clearly struggling from the position he was in. "So I was trying to keep that wish for you as long as possible. I knew that if you looked deeper into me, deeper than you apparently already have, you would find out I am Cat Noir and I feared it would ruin everything."

"Can you prove it?" Marinette asked in a soft voice as her brain began to realize the truth in what Adrien was saying.

If this was true then it was such an Adrien thing to do, thinking of her feelings before his own. It just made her love him more that he cared about her and her feelings so much. If Adrien really was Cat Noir and knew she was Ladybug then it would mean that he loved her as much as she loved him. It was as if they had been destined for each other and yet destined to not know that they were in love with each other.

"I can prove it." A black, catlike, kwami said as it flew out and hovered in front of Adrien. "I am Plagg, the Cat Kwami. As you can see I look like a cat only much more handsome and well I am black and so is Adrien's costume. Nooroo is the Moth Kwami and he is purple, well technically some shade of lavender, hence why Hawk Moth's butterflies have that purple tinge, the black is from evil. Think of it Marinette, Tikki looks a little like a ladybug and it red with black spots. The costumes are always similar to the kwami who's power creates it."

"Thanks for the assist Plagg but you could have done it a little earlier." Adrien said. "I am pretty sure I am about to pass out back here."

"What! I was enjoying watching you get strung up like a price marlin." Plagg said with a snicker.

Marinette studied the little black kwami for a moment before her brain finally agreed with her heart. Adrien was in deed Cat Noir, he loved her and she loved him. And now he was about to pass out from blood flowing to his head in the position he was currently in and all because of her insecurities. Adrien's motives had been pure and so typically Adrien that she couldn't believe she had ever doubted him. All he was doing was thinking about her. She needed to correct that at once.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said and she transformed back into herself, still in the dress she had worn for their date that night.

As soon as the transformation fell away the yo-yo disappeared and Adrien fell to the floor to land in a painful heap. Marinette ran over, helped him up and embraced him, completely forgetting the fact that he was only wearing a pair of boxers.

"I'm so so so sorry Adrien." Marinette as she buried her head in his bare shoulder to hide her shame and tears. "I let my insecurities control me and make me question your motives and look at where it lead us. Please forgive me for what just happened. Adrien I-I love you, I have ever since you gave me your umbrella. I loved last night and I don't want to let this ruin us. Please, Adrien, I love you."

"Shhh bugaboo, it's ok." Adrien said softly as he held her close. "It's ok I understand. It must have been a shock when I started to take more of an interest in you. Had I known you already liked me I would have handled it differently, I think. It's understandable to be insecure though next time just come ask me and don't, what was it that Plagg said, 'string me up like a prize marlin'. I'm just glad we have all this out in the open and right at the start of our relationship."

"I promise I won't." Marinette said not bothering to move before what Adrien had just said sunk in. "Wait! You still want to be with me even after what just happened. I literally just accused you of being our archenemy."

"Of course I do." Adrien said as he cupped Marinette's chin and lifted her face to his, wiping away a tear with his thumb, to plant a gently kiss on her lips. "I love you to, m'lady."

"You know I think those pet names are growing on me, especially now that I know it was you who was saying them all along." Marinette said as she kissed him again back.

The kiss deepened as she poured all her love and relief into Adrien and he reciprocated in kind. As they kissed Marinette let her hands roam all over Adrien's bare back enjoying the feel of his skin under her hands. However, after a few minutes Marinette felt something hard pressing into her gut and instantly knew what it was.

"Glad to see you are enjoying yourself." Marinette said with a giggle as they broke apart but remained in each other's arms. Marinette still able to feel it pressing into her and it took all her will power to not look down. "But we will have to wait a while before we try anything with that. I'm not ready for it yet."

"Well you are very sexy and attractive." Adrien said with a slight blush and a soft kiss on her forehead. His words made her blush a deeper red than he was. "But yes we can take it slow. Now that being said, as much as I love you and having you here in my arms, you may want to leave as you may have tripped the security and I don't want to have to explain to my father, and the cops, how my girlfriend got into my room. He may not be particularly forgiving."

"I don't see how I could have tripped the security, boyfriend." Marinette said ecstatic about how that word felt in relation to Adrien and the fact that they were finally official. "I am Ladybug after all but I agree I probably should get home. Tomorrow when we get to school we will let everyone know we are official."

"Looking forward to it bugaboo." Adrien said.

"And please can I throw this in Chloe's face." Marinette said with a slight pout. "Just this once."

"Just this once, m'lady." Adrien said. "But don't make it a habit."

"I'll try not to." Marinette said as she regretfully disengaged herself from his arms. "But not promises kitty. Anyway, Tikki, spots on."

Marinette quickly transformed into Ladybug, right in front of Adrien for the first time. Tikki had respectfully been quiet since she had de-transformed but would almost certainly want a complete run down when Marinette got home. Moving forward and giving Adrien one last, chaste, kiss on the lips she waited until Adrien opened the window for her and blowing her new boyfriend a kiss she swung away and home. Marinette was thrilled with how the night had gone and the fact that Adrien's motives had been pure, even if he had accidentally found out who she was but now that it was all out in the open between them she was glad that Cat Noir and Adrien were the same person, it would make things a lot easier going forward.

* * *

As soon as Marinette, as Ladybug, had left Adrien closed the window and collapsed on his bed with a contented, happy, sigh. He was finally with the girl he loved, they both knew each other's secrets and though the end of the night had been interesting it had still been the best night of his life.

"Plagg can you believe it, it's all out in the open and we still love each other." Adrien said to his kwami.

"Yes it was very nauseating." Plagg said flying over to his bed on Adrien's bedside table. "Though watching her catch and interrogate you while you hung helplessly upside down was hilarious, shame I can't post the video online but I'm sure Tikki will like it."

"You are so helpful you know that right?" Adrien said to his mischievous kwami. "Wait video?"

"I try." Plagg said. "And yes I took your phone and filmed the whole thing for my entertainment. Now enough of that mushy stuff, real love is the love between kwami and cheese, nothing can compare with that."

Adrien just shook his head at his kwami, closed his eyes and without even bothering to get under the covers drifted off to sleep dreaming of Marinette and Ladybug. The day had truly been perfect and Adrien couldn't wait to see what the future would bring.

 **Sorry this chapter is about twice the length of what I promised would be the max but the prompt was an interesting one and it needed to be longer to work well. So far there is no prompt for next week but priority will be given to any suggestions over the week. The next chapter will be released on the usual date next week (Saturday) so 8 days until the next one. I had originally intended to do a collection of oneshots for different series with each series getting a month but right now I am going to stick with this, and maybe a companion piece if there is interest in one. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	5. Oblivious

**Here is the 5th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. As there were no suggestions this week for a revelation oneshot I came up with this after reading part of the released script for the upcoming episode "Troublemaker." It is based off the fact that Adrien is absolutely oblivious to Marinette's crush on him, something all guys like myself tend to be around girls. In addition this is similar to "Inconsistencies" in the sense that it is taking some concepts from last week's prompt and flipping them so that in this one it is Marinette and not Adrien acting differently. The difference here is that it is purely from Marinette's point of view. Now sit back and enjoy the 5th oneshot in this series, Oblivious.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Oblivious** **\- When Marinette accidentally discovers who Cat Noir is she realizes something more than who he is. She likes him just as much as he likes her but because of the masks they never realized it. Finally confident that Adrien likes her, Marinette decides to be as obvious as possible, without crossing into Chloe territory, in showing her feelings for Adrien to him in hopes of making him realize he likes her as well as Ladybug. However, when Adrien continues to be oblivious to Marinette's feelings she is forced to do something drastic in hopes of finally getting him to realize how she feels.  
**

* * *

 **Oblivious**

Marinette swung away after defeating the latest akuma that tried to terrorize Paris in an attempt to get hers and Cat Noir's miraculouses as her earrings beeped signaling her time was almost up. Realizing she wouldn't make it home in time, Marinette landed in a nearby park, the same one that had the statue of her and Cat Noir in it, and dived into a nearby bush. It was very undignified but it was the only safe place she could see in the park and she was almost out of time. Fortunately it was night and no one was around to see her as she transformed back to her civilian appearance, Tikki flying tiredly into her bag to search for a cookie.

Sighing at the close call Marinette poked her head out of the bush, a twig stuck in her hair, to scramble out and try to clean herself up when she saw a black clad figure land in a nearby tree. A moment later when she saw the tell tale flash of a miraculous de-transformation and she realized it was Cat Noir. Marinette's instant reaction was to pull her head back into the bush so as to not see who her crime fighting partner was so as to preserve his secret but it was too late. Before she could scramble back into the bush a very familiar figure gracefully leapt out of the tree and landed at its base looking around to make sure he had not been seen him and missing Marinette hiding in the bush.

The only way Marinette was able to stop her gasp of shock was to shove a few leaves into her mouth and scurry back into the safety of the bush. Adrien, her crush, her love, was standing a few feet from her. Adrien was Cat Noir! Marinette couldn't believe it. She was in love with Cat Noir!

Then something else hit her as she watched Adrien walk away and for some reason into a nearby corner store, Adrien had a crush on her as well. Well he had a crush on Ladybug because she knew Cat Noir had feelings for Ladybug. That wasn't ideal because it meant that Adrien didn't like her, Marinette, but Ladybug, and the two were very different in Marinette's mind. Pushing her feelings down Marinette clambered out of the bush and headed home, trying to make herself presentable as she went.

"But Marinette you are Ladybug." Tikki said to her a few minutes later when they were back in Marinette's room and she had told her kwami everything. Tikki had already known that Adrien was Cat Noir but had not told her out of respect for Marinette's desire for secrecy. "You are one and the same. The feelings Adrien has for Ladybug and why he has them apply to you as well. You just need to have confidence around him to be who you are and not a nervous, clumsy, mess."

"Thanks Tikki." Marinette said to her kwami. Tikki always new how to help her. "But its hard cos I am in love with him and that always messes with me. I am always afraid he will find out and not reciprocate so that love and fear constantly war within me and produce the mess he always see. Wait I kissed Cat Noir when he was turned evil by Dark Cupid. I kissed Adrien!"

"Marinette stop getting off track." Tikki said calming down Marinette again though Marinette knew that she would be replaying that kiss for a long time now that she knew who she had actually kissed. "Focus on the task at hand. You know that Adrien is Cat Noir so you know that he at least likes part of you right?"

"Right?" Marinette said confused as to where Tikki was going with this.

"So … that means Adrien reciprocates your feelings for him." Tikki said slowly trying to lead Marinette to the right conclusion.

"I don't see where you're going with this Tikki." Marinette said still confused.

"Why are humans sometimes so oblivious?" Tikki asked rhetorically as she face palmed herself. "Especially boys but this time you are being a little oblivious as well."

"Probably but treat me as if I'm an idiot Tikki." Marinette said. "And explain it to me simply. Don't make me guess."

"Very well." Tikki said deciding it was best to just lay it all out for her human. "Now you know that Adrien likes you." Marinette nodded at this. "So that means that the biggest fear you have when you talk to Adrien, that he will reject your very deep love for him, is now baseless. Therefore, while he may not know that you are Ladybug and you shouldn't tell him just yet because it is right to not know each other's identities, you know that he likes you. Always remember that Ladybug would not be Ladybug if not for Marinette. You are Ladybug and Ladybug is you. So show Adrien that you can be just like Ladybug in real life, without the mask, and he will fall for you. Don't hold back your feelings for him. Be obvious, be flirty but restrained, be yourself around him and he will see you for who you are and he will fall for you. Show him why you were chosen to be Ladybug and he will realize he likes you. Use your friends if you have to but commit yourself to this."

"I get where you're coming from Tikki but its going to be hard." Marinette said softly after digesting what Tikki had said. "That crippling fear is always there though now it is more the fear that he won't like the differences between me and Ladybug."

"There are no differences." Tikki said. "Master Fu would not have selected you as the miraculous holder of the Ladybug Miraculous if he didn't think you deserved it. Now show him that you and Ladybug are one and the same."

"I guess so." Marinette said. "It won't be easy but I will try. Now that I know that Adrien likes me in some way then I can at least try to be more confident around him."

"That's a good start." Tikki said with a smile. "I know that it will be hard but I also know that you can do it."

"But what should I do about Cat Noir." Marinette said. "I now know his secret identity and do actually reciprocate his feelings for me but it would be odd wouldn't it if I started flirting back."

"It wouldn't be odd if you lightly flirted back, just don't go over the top." Tikki said. "Be subtle about it and take it slow. I think the first thing you will have to get under control is the fact that you know Adrien is Cat Noir and that might make you nervous around him and distract you."

"Merde." Marinette swore. "I didn't think of that."

"That's what I'm here for." Tikki said helpfully.

"I will work on that." Marinette said. "I think I can just about handle that. Anyway Tikki it's time for bed and we have a big day tomorrow."

With that Marinette quickly changed into her pajamas and got into bed. She fell into a pleasant sleep dreaming of Adrien, the kiss they had shared though in a new light from what she had seen it in before. She also didn't know how she was going to confidently show him that she was the same as Ladybug, had feelings for him and that if he had any sense he had feelings for her too. It was certainly going to be an interesting time going forward.

 ** _One Month Later_**

"How can boys be so fucking oblivious." Marinette almost yelled to the other girls gathered in her room as she paced in front of them. "Like seriously, I am finally confident enough to be obvious about my feelings for Adrien when I'm around him and yet he still isn't getting the fucking hint. I have tried everything short of jumping into his arms, kissing him and declaring my love for him the way Chloe does but I am very near that point."

Marinette had gathered all of her female friends, every girl from class minus Chloe, Sabrina and Kagami, in her room to rant at them and then try and figure out what to do about the latest development in her Adrien situation. This was because over the last month, since Marinette had found out the Adrien was Cat Noir and as such liked her almost as much as she liked him though he didn't know it yet, Marinette had been all but throwing herself onto him.

It had taken a few days and a confession to Alya that she was certain Adrien liked her but didn't know it but Marinette had finally found the courage to be more blatant around Adrien. She wasn't going to stoop to Chloe's very obvious level of trying to get with Adrien but she wasn't exactly being subtle either. She talked with him everyday without being a clumsy mess, hung out with him as much as she could, constantly complemented him, used any excuse to touch him, laughed at his jokes and puns that were so similar to Cat Noir's that she was surprised she hadn't noticed the similarity sooner, and made sure she saw her blush, nervousness and coyness whenever he complemented her. She was acting as much like she did when she was Ladybug as she could, being calm, confident, kind and a leader, without giving herself away and yet despite all this he still hadn't gotten the hint that she had a huge crush on him. Of course she was still a clumsy, stuttering mess around him at times but that only happened once a day or so.

"They all are." Mylene said quietly, they had all been taken aback by Marinette's frustrated outburst but recovered quickly. "Normally if they aren't obvious themselves we have to be blunt and put them out of their misery."

"Yeah guys just never get it." Alix agreed. "And Marinette is being even more blatant than usual about her crush. I'm pretty sure the whole school knows by this point except for Adrien."

"I know Ivan can tell." Mylene said.

"As can Nino." Alya added. "But he won't tell Adrien cos I made sure he wouldn't. This is something Adrien has to figure out on his own."

"Couldn't Marinette just tell him?" Rose asked. "I mean that would be the simplest way, especially if you think he likes you back. What do you have to lose if you let him know about your feelings for him? I think we should have the courage to let those we love know so."

Marinette didn't say anything at first as it was hard to take the advice Rose had just given her seriously given who it had come from. Rose was currently cuddled up to Juleka, he head resting on the taller girl's shoulder, Jules's arm around her waste holding Rose close, their fingers interlaced and Rose's free hand on Juleka's knee. It was painfully obvious to all the girls in the room that there was something between the two best friends and that they were currently holding each other in a way that was odd for friends to do so but as far as Marinette knew both girls hadn't confessed what was apparent feelings between them to one another. That was why it was hard for Marinette to take Rose's advice seriously when it seemed that Rose herself lacked that same courage.

"Because Marinette isn't confident that Adrien likes her back." Juleka said quietly, almost too softly to be heard. "She can be as obvious as she wants, even go beyond what is expected behavior for a friend, and still he won't know her true feelings. No matter how confident Marinette is that he does like her, she is too scared that she is wrong to suddenly voice it to him because she's afraid of rejection so she's being obvious in hopes he gets the hint and makes the first move, which will take a while. Right Marinette?"

"Er yeah something like that." Marinette said looking thoughtfully at her goth friend.

While Marinette was confident that Adrien did like her and not know it she couldn't say why she knew that without saying that it was because she was Ladybug and Adrien was Cat Noir. However it seemed like Juleka wasn't so much talking about Adrien as she was talking about someone else, someone very close to her. That was almost certainly Rose, who if Juleka did have a crush on, and if so it was hidden well as Marinette couldn't see it, and that while it appeared Rose liked Juleka back, Juleka was too afraid to tell her.

"It's a legitimate fear some of us have." Marinette said looking pointedly at Juleka who didn't meet her gaze. "And something I can't help. I want to tell him but I can't so I am trying to be as obvious as possible."

"Problem is all boys, especially sheltered ones like Adrien, are very oblivious when a girl likes them back." Alya said. "So what is Marinette going to do ladies? We nee a plan."

"Maybe she should try to cuddle up to him." Alix said glancing pointedly over at Rose and Juleka before back at Marinette. "You know when they are next together in the courtyard Marinette waits for Adrien to sit down. Then she sits down next to him, hips touching and talks with him, leans in if he puts his arm out and uses that to force him to put his arm around her, that sort of thing. Maybe even try to hold his hand if you have the confidence to do so. It would be further than you have tried so far and be about as blatant as you can be without actually kissing him. That should be a tactic at some point but you're not that desperate yet, wait before sinking to Chloe's level."

"Yeah that could work." Rose said happily. "Cuddling often does show that. What do you think Marinette?"

"I can try that." Marinette said after a moment's thought and a clear blush and smile from Juleka. "Alright thanks girls. I needed to vent a little frustration and get some advice."

"No problem that's what we are here for." Alya said as the others nodded.

"Well it's getting late so I should go home." Alix said getting up, the others followed suit. "Good luck Marinette."

"Thanks." Marinette said.

Her friends all come over, gave her a hug and a kiss on each cheek before leaving. Soon only Marinette and Alya remained in the room.

"Well that went well." Alya said looking at her best friend. "I'm proud you are actually being confident around Adrien at last. It will work out."

"Thanks Alya." Marinette said. "It's just frustrating but I know I am right so I will not give up. Anyway speaking of feelings did you see the way Juleka and Rose were behaving and what Juleka said."

"Yeah that surprised me." Alya said. "I knew they were close, closer than best friends usually are cos as much as I like you I will never cuddle you like that."

"Same here." Marinette said.

"But I didn't realize that they may actually like each other." Alya continued. "I mean yeah neither of them talk about boys, other than Rose talking about her respect for Prince Ali and all that he does but that's it. They have always been close but Rose is so bubbly, friendly and slightly naive all the time that it is hard to read her on a deeper level, while Juleka on the other hand is so quiet and reserved that no one really knows what's going on with her but after what she said today I am pretty sure that at least Juleka has feelings for Rose and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if Rose has feelings back."

"Yeah we should try to talk to Juleka about that." Marinette said. "She's more likely to open up about it, I'm not sure Rose would understand her feelings at this point."

"But that is a conversation for another day." Alya said. "For now we need to focus on you and Adrien. So come one we need to go into more detail about the plan."

Marinette just nodded as she and her best friend sat down and began to work out the finer details of Marinette's latest attempt to be obvious to Adrien about her feelings for him. Hopefully this time it would work because if tomorrow didn't go as Marinette wanted she was going to have to use her last ditch, emergency plan and she wasn't sure she was ready for that yet.

* * *

The next day came sooner than Marinette would have liked but she swallowed her fear and nervousness and got ready. She was about to go farther than she had tried before in her ongoing attempts to end Adrien's oblivion and show him she liked him. Marinette was nervous but determined to see the plan through. If this failed her remaining options were extreme and she still didn't know if she was ready for those options just yet.

She had to wait until the break between classes to make her move. All the girls were in on it so they all helped run interference to prevent Chloe from interfering with Marinette's plan while Alya had just managed to get Nino away from Adrien. That was her cue and Marinette steeled herself before taking it. Walking as confidently as she could she went straight to the bench Adrien was sitting on and sat down next to him, closer than a friend should and close enough that their hips were touching. As soon as she sat down Adrien looked up from his phone and smiled at her, clearly oblivious to why she was so close to him. She felt her face flush at the smile but tried to calm herself.

"Hey Marinette." Adrien said still smiling at her. He didn't mention how close she was but he also didn't move away which gave Marinette a little hope. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing." Marinette said playing with her hair nervously. "I saw that you were alone and thought you may want some company."

"Thanks." Adrien said. "I always enjoy your company."

Marinette knew she was blushing bright red at this but she didn't care. Leaning closer and subtly pushing her shoulder under his so that he had to move his arm to be comfortable, a move that forced him to put it around her waist and as such pull her closer so that they were effectively cuddling on the bench, she looked down at his phone. Again Adrien did nothing to change their positions but she did feel him stiffen in shock and probably confusion. Subtlety was out of the window at this point, hopefully now Adrien would get the hint.

"What are you looking at?" Marinette asked as she rested her head on his should and quietly enjoyed the moment.

"I was just looking at the Ladyblog." Adrien said. There was some nervousness in his voice but that was it.

"You're a fan of Ladybug?" Marinette asked as Adrien showed her the article he was reading.

"Yeah I think she's awesome." Adrien said in a wistful voice that caused Marinette to suppress a shiver of joy at that.

"She is isn't she." Marinette said. "I admire her a lot. I also admire Cat Noir as well, he's pretty cute, witty and a loyal partner for Ladybug."

With her position Marinette could feel Adrien react slightly to her comments on Cat Noir. She smiled as she knew why Adrien was reacting to what she was saying.

"Yeah Cat Noir is pretty awesome isn't he." Adrien said. "I always thought he and Ladybug should be together but they seem to be just friends."

"Yeah but that may change." Marinette said. "Eventually they will be together, of that I'm sure."

"I hope so." Adrien muttered so quietly that she was certain that she was not meant to here it. Soon Adrien would get his wish though, if he saw what was in front of him. Or in this case next to him and cuddling up to him.

"But he should still try to see what other fish are out there first." Marinette said, once again provoking a reaction out of Adrien. "You know, see what else is out there. Who knows there might be someone right in front of his eyes who loves him and he's not seeing her at all. And of course that someone, so long as they are female, could very well turn out to be Ladybug, Cat Noir would never know unless he tried."

"True." Adrien said with a note of confusion and thought in his voice. "But Cats are stubborn animals so he may not give up on her no matter what is in front of him or how confused he is. Besides, I'm sure Cat Noir would be able to tell if there was someone like that around him."

 _No he fucking well won't_. Marinette thought quietly from her position. She was literally cuddled up to Cat Noir right now, his hand was around her, on her hip, and yet Adrien was still apparently oblivious to her very clear feelings. How was that even possible, no guy should be this blind. The only reason for this that Marinette could think about was that Adrien was confused by her actions and suspicious about her feelings but not willing to give her a chance because he was in love with Ladybug and didn't want to betray her by giving Marinette a chance, it was after all why she had never given Cat Noir a chance. Those values were now absolutely ridiculous believes given that they were in love with each other and until recently both didn't know it.

Before Marinette could say something about Cat Noir possibly being too clueless for his own good the fire alarm went off causing both of them to jump, break apart and for Marinette to land in an undignified heap on the floor. Grumbling at the ruining of the moment Marinette gratefully took Adrien's hand that he had offered her to help her up and she waited longer than was necessary to release it. As they began to file out Marinette looked over to her classmates and saw Chloe staring daggers at her. Clearly Chloe had seen Marinette and Adrien cuddling and in a fit of spiteful jealousy she had pulled the fire alarm, it was classic Chloe. Marinette was honestly surprise there wasn't an akuma heading straight for Chloe right now but seeing as she was responsible for many of the akumas that had attacked Paris Hawk Moth may be leaving her alone and just let her set up victims for him.

Marinette was pissed as they filed out of the school and not just at Chloe for ruining the moment. She was pissed because once again Adrien had not picked up her obvious attempt to show him she had feelings for him but had still shown his love for her via his comments about Ladybug. Marinette realized that there was only one way to end this and get what she wanted and Marinette had to brace herself for that.

* * *

"Marinette are you sure you want to tell Adrien the truth?" Tikki asked her.

It was after school and Marinette had just told her kwami in the privacy of her own room that she was planning on revealing herself to Adrien that night during their patrol. It was the only way that Marinette was sure would work in finally getting through Adrien's apparently very thick skull that she was into him. She had tried everything but kissing him and she was not comfortable kissing Adrien without his consent so this was her best plan. She knew that this would at least work in getting Adrien to realize he liked her as much as she like him.

"Yes I am." Marinette said with conviction to her kwami. "I have literally tried everything else and he's still not getting it. It was either this or kissing him next time I saw him and I'm not comfortable with that plan. Besides this plan is safer and more likely to work."

"But you both shouldn't know each other's identities unless you know you can trust him." Tikki pointed out. "Even you said so before."

"I know but I can't think of anything else to do." Marinette said. "I am fed up failing. I already trust Cat Noir with my life and I know Adrien and trust him as well."

"But is this the best option?" Tikki said. "Couldn't you just tell him how you feel about him at school?"

"No because I don't think he will believe me." Marinette said. "Besides I do intend to tell him I love him when I show him who I am. I have a feeling he may know but his love for Ladybug is preventing him from acting on it, it was why I never acted on Cat Noir's advances because it felt like cheating on Adrien. Trust me Tikki, this is the best way."

"Very well it is your decision after all." Tikki said. "And you know his secret so I don't see too much of a problem with it."

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette said before looking at her watch. "It's time. Tikki, spots on."

Marinette transformed into Ladybug. Quickly leaving her room and making sure no one saw her doing so, Marinette swung away and into the Parisian night. Tonight she was set to meet Cat Noir atop Notre Dame Cathedral for the patrol. Not the ideal roof for the reveal but she would have to make do as she was now fully committed to it. It was time to end Adrien's oblivion once and for all.

She arrived before Cat Noir for once but only just as a few minutes after she arrived and entered the tallest bell tower of the famous cathedral, Cat Noir landed on the ledge and leapt lightly into the tower. He had his usual confident smile that Marinette knew was just like Adrien's. Over the last month it had taken all her will power not to melt down in front of him but she had managed it.

"M'lady, ready for another paw-trol." Adrien said with a slight bow.

"Not yet kitty." Marinette said, ignoring the pun but they had grown on her over the last month since she had known that it was Adrien saying them. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Sure, I'm all ears." Adrien said as he leaned idly against a wall.

"I think its time to show you who I am." Marinette said and raised a hand before Adrien could interject. "I've been thinking about it a lot for the last month and I trust you to know who I am. Besides there are other reasons as to why I want, why I need you to know who I am, Adrien."

Adrien's jaw went slack and his eyes widened in horror when he realized she had said his name. There was no way he was going to talk himself out of this one. Marinette used the distraction to transform.

"Tikki, spots off." She said as she bowed her head and closed her eyes. In a second she was Marinette again with Tikki hovering just above her shoulder.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked clearly surprised. Marinette looked up to see Adrien, still as Cat Noir, staring at her. "You're Ladybug?"

"Yes." Marinette said quietly. "I know I am not like Ladybug when I am out of the costume but yes it is me. There's something else I have to tell you."

"Wait before you do answer me this." Adrien said. "How did you know who I was?"

"It was an accident." Marinette said. The damn broke and it all came out in a rush, she had to tell him everything. "It was last month after an akuma attack. I wasn't going to make it home in time to transform in my room so I dived into a bush in a park to transform. Then as I was about to leave the bush you landed in a tree, transformed and next thing I knew Adrien was jumping out of the tree. The boy that I am deeply in love with was my crime fighting partner, I didn't know how to react to it. I didn't want to say anything cos I knew that we shouldn't know each other's secret identities but I should have told you and I'm sorry for that. I was just so confused and then I realized that the boy I have been in love with for over a year felt similarity about me because well Cat Noir always liked Ladybug in a romantic way, I was just so in love with you that I couldn't even consider Cat Noir so when I found out you were Cat Noir it really shocked me. I decided it would be best try and be more like Ladybug around you when out of the costume. I wanted you to realize that I was just like Ladybug and that I liked you, like liked you. If you liked Ladybug then you should like me because well I am Ladybug, at least that was my logic. I tried to be as obvious as I could be but you were so damn oblivious. After my failure earlier today this was the only way I could think to get it through to you. I love you Adrien, Ladybug loves you. I can't keep this in anymore. I'm sorry."

"Well that explains a lot, and clarifies a few things." Adrien said after a few moments of digesting what she had said. "Plagg, claws in."

Marinette watched as Adrien transformed back into his normal self, a black catlike kwami appeared and was floating over his shoulder looking really bored. Adrien was smiling at her which she took as a good sign.

"I'm sorry I was so oblivious Marinette." Adrien said softly. "I guess you weren't really being that subtle."

"Not at all." Marinette replied with a nervous laugh. "I was trying to not be like Chloe but yeah I wasn't exactly subtly. Especially today, I was practically in your lap and you still didn't see it. How were you that oblivious?"

"I'm inexperienced with this." Adrien admitted. "You know, actually being liked by a girl. I was shut in for so long that it can take me a while to figure shit out at times, especially when dealing with human feelings. That being said I did have some suspicions, especially today and that made me really confused."

"Confused?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah cos I was developing feelings for you." Adrien said causing Marinette's heart to beat at a rate she thought was impossible. "For Marinette that it, separate of those I have for Ladybug and those have been growing stronger over the last month as you got more comfortable around me. It confused me cos I love Ladybug but now I'm starting to like you as well and it felt like a betrayal of Ladybug to like you if that makes any sense. I realized today that you certainly liked me as more than a friend and I was confused, especially after what you had said to me about not seeing what was right in front of me, of course you were talking about Cat Noir then but you really meant me. Now though, you are Ladybug so I know my feelings for you are true and I'm not betraying her."

"Yeah I had something similar with Cat Noir and Adrien." Marinette said with a laugh as she took a hesitant step towards him. "I didn't want to betray Adrien by being with Cat Noir but when I realized that you were the same person those fears went away though fears of rejection remained even though I knew they were baseless. It's funny that we both liked each other in ways that meant we wouldn't realize it short of talking about our personal lives while in costume which we never did."

"Yeah it is kinda funny when you think about it." Adrien agreed with a laugh. "So what now?"

"Now we make it official." Marinette said stepping closer to Adrien. "I love you Adrien."

"And I love you Marinette." He said sending shivers down Marinette's spine, at last he had said the words that she had dreamed of hearing for a long time.

Marinette practically ran the last few steps and threw herself into Adrien's arms. He didn't waste anytime in leaning down and kissing her right there. It was perfect. Her gamble had paid off just as she knew it would and they were finally together, finally official after chasing each other in oblivious circles for ages. That was all she managed to think of though as Adrien deepened their kiss and she gave herself to the sweet oblivion of the moment she had been dreaming about for a long time. Adrien was no longer oblivious.

 **Hopefully this prompt worked well for y'all. I just want to note the Rose and Juleka thing. Normally I don't do non cannon shipping (except Sokka and Toph and Ron and Luna) but I have a feeling that they will eventually be a couple in Miraculous. This is based of the scene in Zombizou and the fact that Thomas Astruc's past statements regarding a desire to get LGBT characters into the show. While I usually feel like the inclusion of hot button topics like LGBT should not be in a kids show as it feels too preachy to me I am a fan of a Rose x Juleka relationship as I think the show is currently handling it well and in a tasteful manner, similar to how the Legend of Korra (I won't spoil it) handled it. Anyway enough ramblings, as usual I will prioritize prompts given to me in reviews and PMs (on a first come first serve basis but I will try to address and create them all) over any prompts I can think of and as always the next chapter will be published at the usual time next Saturday. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	6. Sick

**Here is the 6th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This oneshot prompt was suggested to me by following last week's chapter. This chapter is a little more comical and less romantic than prior and future ones but it is a fun one that works well with the prompt. It draws a lot from the Princess Fragrance episode with a little twist, so sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Sick.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Sick \- When Plagg suddenly gets sick, too sick to transform, Adrien is forced to take him to a healer. After being forced to deal with Plagg's dislike for healers, Adrien finally persuades his kwami to take him to a healer. What could possibly happen when your sick kwami is being healed by a strange, old, Chinese man? Adrien is about to learn that sometimes fate has a way of surprising you when you least expect it when the last person he would have imagined bursts into Master Fu's massage parlor.  
**

* * *

 **Sick**

Adrien entered his room via the window he always left open when he had to leave to save Paris, after making sure no one was watching him return to his home. Once there he sighed, it had been a tough akuma attack, most that wanted revenge on Chloe were, but as usual he and Ladybug prevailed in the end. The akumas had been getting tougher and tougher lately and he felt that they needed more help. They had received that help once before when Rena Rouge had briefly joined the team but he had not seen her since and Adrien felt that they could use her again if the akumas kept getting tougher.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said as he transformed out of his superhero alter ego and knew instantly that something was wrong with Plagg.

Upon reverting back Plagg had flown out and instead of hovering tiredly in front Adrien or looking for cheese, the kwami was lying on Adrien's couch in a curled ball shivering, coughing and occasionally sneezing. It was clear that the kwami was sick.

"Plagg what's wrong?" Adrien asked concerned for his kwami as he sat down next to Plagg and pulled his friend into his cupped hands. The kwami was warm to the touch as if he was starting to get a fever. Plagg had never been like this before and Adrien was concerned for his little friend. "You don't look well."

"I'm fine, honest, don't worry about me." Plagg said with a violent sneeze showing that he was anything but fine. "I just need to rest and recuperate. I'll get over this in a few days at most."

"Plagg you are clearly sick." Adrien said the concern clear in his voice. "You need a healer, or vet, or doctor, or whatever a kwami needs to get better."

"No! No healers." Plagg said with a cough. "They don't help you, only hurt you. I just need to rest and get better."

As he was speaking Plagg was coughing, sneezing and shivering in Adrien's hands. It was clear that the kwami wasn't feeling well and needed help. Unfortunately for Adrien, Plagg was incredibly stubborn and was refusing to go see a healer for some reason. Adrien needed to persuade the stubborn creature to seek help, his friend needed it.

"Plagg. You. Are. Sick." Adrien said forcefully making it clear that his kwami needed help. "And you are going to tell me where to take you to get healed because you need it and I know you know where to get healed."

"Alright I admit it I don't trust healers." Plagg said with a dramatic flourish as he put a paw to his forehead in an exaggerated fashion that would have been amusing and typical for Plagg had it not been ruined by another coughing fit. "They don't help and I don't like them."

"Plagg why don't you like them?" Adrien asked with an exasperated sigh as he tried to get to the root of Plagg's unknown issues with healers. "They are there to help you get better."

"They poke and prod me and I don't like that." Plagg said defensively. "I like my personal space. Besides, they use archaic methods as there are few healers that can help kwamis, we are a secret after all. I don't like the few of them that I know. The last time I saw a healer, about 852 years ago, he put 1,000 needles in me to cure me of my ailment. I didn't think it was possible to put 1,000 needles into a kwami, we are small creatures, but it can be done and let me tell you that is not a pleasant or painless experience. I am not repeating that ordeal just to get healed. Trust me Adrien I will be fine."

Once again Plagg's statement was hindered by a coughing fit and a few violent sneezes that Adrien thought were too big for a kwami to physically produce. Adrien decided to take a different line of argument with his stubborn, foolish and irrational kwami.

"Plagg if you are sick then I can't transform." Adrien pointed out. "Remember what you said when you got Chloe's bracelet stuck over your eyes. If I transform and you are effected by any impurities, and I am pretty sure being sick qualifies as an impurity, then that impurity will effect me as well when I transform into Cat Noir. I have a feeling that I won't be an effective Cat Noir if I am coughing, sneezing and shivering while trying to fight off an akuma attack. I could be defeated and lose my miraculous if I am sick while fighting an akuma. Besides, my lady needs me to be at my best to aid her and if you are sick then I am not at my best."

"It will only be a few days." Plagg said with yet another sneeze. "Then I will be fine and healthy once again. There won't be an akuma attack so nothing to worry about. Trust me."

"Plagg while I usually trust you, you are currently being a stubborn, irrational, ass." Adrien said with a hint of sternness to his kwami. "You know as well as I do that with Chloe still behaving the way she is the chances of an akuma attack any day is high. And its not just Chloe. For some reason Marinette, sweet as she is, seems to be bad luck as well as at least 5, if not more, of the akumas we have faced have been caused directly or indirectly by her. Then there is my father who has also caused several akuma attacks. Between the 3 of them there is no telling when an akuma attack might happen. No Plagg we need to get you healed as soon as possible just in case. Paris needs Cat Noir and Cat Noir needs Plagg."

"Come on Adrien just because two or three people are responsible for the majority of the akumas we have faced doesn't mean that another will be created while I recuperate on my own." Plagg said with a cough, the kwami was definitely starting to burn up in Adrien's hands. "So what if you can't transform for a few days, it's better than going to see a healer. I will be fine Adrien, take the days as a small holiday from being Cat Noir, you deserve it."

Again Plagg was coughing, sneezing and shivering as he was speaking and it was becoming clear that the more Plagg spoke the harder it got for him. Adrien's kwami was really sick but being a stubborn fool because of his dislike for healers based on outdated techniques. Adrien realized that the only way to persuade Plagg to go to a healer was to use dirty, extreme, tricks and Adrien knew the dirtiest, most extreme, trick that would ensure that Plagg cooperated. It was time to break out the big guns.

"Very well Plagg if you are so insistent on not seeking treatment and fighting this yourself I will let you but there are going to be a few rules should we go down this path." Adrien said calmly to his kwami. Plagg nodded at this with a small smile that Adrien knew would vanish in a second. "And the first rule is that you are going on a healthy diet. That means no more Camembert until you are healthy again and then another week without it at least to ensure you don't get sick again. Let's say a month without any cheese whatsoever just to be safe."

"Wait!" Plagg tried to shout but it came out as a wheezing cough that took a moment to subside before the kwami could continue his objections. "That's not fair."

"No, it is perfectly fair." Adrien said with a wicked smile. "You need a healer and I know you know where one is because I do not know where to take a sick kwami. So you're choice, Plagg, is simple. Let me take you to a healer and get you healed right away or fight this yourself and accept my conditions for doing that. Be healed and get to eat Camembert or stay sick and not get it for a month."

"You're evil Adrien, you know that right." Plagg said with a sigh and a sneeze. "Very well, the loss of my gooeyness is greater than the brief pain of a healing. I know where a healer is who can treat kwamis. He is the only one in Paris, probably the world, who can heal me but you have to tell him I am an exotic cat or something."

"I can do that." Adrien said with a relieved sigh that he had finally gotten through to his stubborn kwami. "Now tell me where to take you."

Adrien proceeded to sneak out of his house as he didn't want to have to explain to anyone where he was going and this was something that had to be done in private. Plagg then directed Adrien to a small massage parlor that claimed to be able to heal you by using ancient Chinese spiritual techniques. It was a niche shop that Adrien never knew existed but that Plagg was insistent that it was the right place. After seeing his father's book that had images of miraculous holders, Adrien knew that the miraculouses dated back to China so the fact that Plagg had taken him to a Chinese shop didn't surprise him. Adrien had a feeling that this would be the place.

"Hello how may I help you young man?" A short, old, vaguely familiar, Chinese man in an awful Hawaiian shirt greeted Adrien as a bell rang when he opened the door to the man's shop. "I am Master Fu, how may I be of service to you?"

"I know you." Adrien said as he closed the door and walked into the room looking around. "Didn't I help you up outside my school one time about a year and a half ago?"

"I believe you did." Master Fu said with a kind smile as Adrien walked up to him. "It seems I can now return the favor as you look like you need help."

The room looked like a traditional Chinese massage parlor. There were Chinese scrolls on the walls, Chinese style furniture against said walls, a screen divider along one wall, an old gramophone and a large mat in the center of the room. Master Fu was already kneeling in front of it by a pillow so Adrien took off his shoes and walked up to the mat and knelt along one side.

"I do need your help." Adrien said once he had taken in the room and knelt down. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a shivering, near feverish, Plagg who was coughing slightly. "Its my, er, cat. He's sick and he's a very rare breed. I looked online and it said that this was the best place for assistance. Can you heal him?"

"Let me see him." Master Fu said giving Adrien a strange smile at his explanation for why he was there.

Adrien silently passed over Plagg to the healer who gently put the kwami on the pillow and held his hands out over Plagg, his eyes closed. After a moment Master Fu opened his eyes got up, lit an incense stick that smelt like cooked cheese for some odd reason and place it under Plagg's nose. Then after the kwami had inhaled the smoke, a smile on Plagg's lips at the scent, Master Fu put the stick down and picked up a gong that Adrien had not noticed was next to him. He then struck the gong over Plagg an intoned softly in time with the reverberation of the gong. Once the gong stopped vibrating Master Fu finished his intonation and put the gong down, waved the incense in Plagg's face again before putting the still smoking stick down next to the gong and once again putting his hands over Plagg and closing his eyes. After another moment he nodded and put his hand's down, opened his eyes and looked at Adrien.

"He is cured." The venerable healer said with a smile. "His energy was blocked, I have cleared it. He should be perfectly healthy now."

"Can he get up?" Adrien asked as he looked at Plagg who was still on the pillow his eyes closed, breathing deeply and no longer shivering.

"I believe so." Master Fu said with a smile. "If I am right I believe he has fallen asleep and is refusing to wake up."

"That is so much like him." Adrien said with a smile just as Plagg let out a loud snore. "Come on Plagg wake up, I know your faking it you lazy thing."

"What did you say he was again?" The old man asked Adrien a strange twinkle in his eye.

"A cat." Adrien said quickly. It wasn't a hard lie to believe seeing as Plagg did look like a black cat version of a kwami after all. "A very rare one from the Kingdom of Achu."

Plagg finally and very reluctantly opened eyes, yawned and stretched in a very catlike way. His green eyes focused on Master Fu for a long moment and Adrien could have sworn he saw recognition in his kwami's green eyed gaze for a moment before Plagg shook his head and flew over to hover just above Adrien's shoulder.

"Who can also fly." Adrien hastily added after Plagg showed off his ability to fly. "As I said a very rare cat indeed, dad thought it was unique hence why he bought it for me. See Plagg that wasn't so painful was it."

Plagg just shook his head at Adrien as Master Fu chuckled. Adrien was sure that the old man knew more than he was letting on, he had just healed a kwami in an ancient way that only someone familiar with kwamis would likely know how, but fortunately Master Fu did not try to question Adrien's very weak lie. Adrien was about to thank the healer and ask how much when the door to the parlor opened with a loud crash. Adrien looked over and his eyes went wide in shock as the last person he expected to see was standing there and she was accompanied by a very familiar looking thing hovering just behind her.

Standing in the door was a panting, exhausted, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had clearly run here from somewhere. The fact that Marinette was out of breath and here at all was surprising enough but that wasn't the most surprising thing. No that was the bright red kwami with 5 black spots on it that was hovering directly over Marinette's shoulder looking right at Master Fu with an apologetic look in its face. Adrien's jaw fell open in shock and then he realized that Plagg was still visible over his shoulder and staring with amusement at Marinette and her kwami.

"Master Fu we need to talk about the Fox Miraculous, I …." Marinette began before she took in the full scene, clearly seeing Adrien and Plagg.

Her eyes went wide in both horror and then shock when she clearly recognized Plagg for what he was. Then for some reason that Adrien didn't understand, she strained in an unnaturally stiff posture, her mouth a tight, frightened line and her face blushing a deep red.

Merde.

* * *

Marinette had decided it was time to persuade Master Fu to let Alya have the Fox Miraculous permanently. She knew it was a risk to have three miraculous holders running around Paris but it was one that they needed to take. The akuma attacks were becoming more frequent and more elaborate. It was getting harder and harder for her and Cat Noir to handle them by themselves and she wanted to add to the team. Maybe they could add a fourth that Cat Noir got to choose so that they both knew the new members but only the ones they had chosen. If they didn't Marinette had a feeling that at some point one or both of them would lose their miraculouses, Dark Owl had removed one of her earrings after all. In addition Marinette was hoping that Master Fu had made some progress with deciphering photos of pages in that odd book she had accidentally taken from Adrien.

Tikki had tried to talk Marinette out of it but Marinette had shown her stubborn side and decided to go ahead with this, though admittedly Tikki hadn't tried that hard to talk Marinette down and had even suggested that they visit Master Fu today for an update on the book. Marinette trusted Alya and knew that the girl would be helpful, honorable and restrained with the power they would entrust her with, while also maintaining the secret of being a Miraculous Holder. In the end Tikki had relented on that front and accompanied Marinette in her bag as always to go see Master Fu and catch up with Wayzz.

Marinette couldn't explain why she had decided that now was the time to do this but she had decided that it was. It felt like the right moment so she committed herself to it and just ran to Master Fu's massage parlor from her house. It was longer than she remembered and by the time she reached it she was out of breath.

As soon as she was off the street Tikki and emerged from her bag and flown to hover just behind Marinette. As Marinette reached the door Tikki tried one last time to talk Marinette out of her plan.

"Marinette this is not a good idea." Her kwami said once again but Marinette ignored the kwami and barged in unannounced as she had done last time.

"Master Fu we need to talk about the Fox Miraculous, I …." Marinette began before she realized that the room was not empty.

Marinette's eyes went as wide as saucers when she saw who and what was in the room with Master Fu. Adrien Agreste, the love of her life, was standing there slack jawed with a shocked expression on his face just staring at Marinette. Marinette realized with a shock of horror that Tikki was there with her and very visible. Then her eyes focused on the jet black thing floating above Adrien's shoulder. It was clearly a kwami with very distinctive catlike features and an amused smirk on its cute face.

As soon as she registered the situation Marinette stood upright, her body locking up, her mouth shutting in fear. She knew she was blushing but she couldn't help it. The sheer shock of what had just happened was overwhelming her system and shutting down all basic functions. Adrien was here and he was with an unknown but somehow familiar kwami. There was no doubt that it was the Cat Kwami, which meant that Adrien had to be Cat Noir. Her crush was also her crime fighting partner, a crime fighting partner that Marinette knew had feelings for Ladybug, which meant that Cat Noir, Adrien had feelings for her. It was all too much and Marinette was certain she was about to die from the sensory overload of everything. This was not supposed to happen.

Merde.

* * *

"Marinette what are you doing here?" Adrien asked as he recovered before Marinette could before he turned to the small, old, man who was just smiling in amusement and continuing his questions. "And why is there a kwami with her? I know that the creature with her is kwami and it is clear you know about them so who are you? Plagg said that you could heal him which means you clearly know about the miraculouses and if I recall correctly, I received my miraculous shortly after helping you that day 18 months ago or so. What is going on?"

"I, I, I, I ..." Marinette stuttered out, unable to say anything else. It was clear that shock and possibly something else had overwhelmed her system.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag so to speak." Master Fu said with a chuckle that got a glare from Plagg and saved a stuttering Marinette from even more embarrassment. "Marinette if you would be a dear and close the door. I had hoped that this day would not come but fate is a fickle mistress who does her own thing. It was bound to happen someday I guess and better this way then during an akuma attack in front of everyone in Paris. It is time you both learned of each other in your entirety and that Adrien is let in on what you know about me."

Master Fu's instructions managed to break Marinette out of her very impressive imitation of a statue, minus the stutter she still had going on. The aspiring fashion designer just nodded and walked over to the door to close it though her movements were a little stiffer than usual. As she did Adrien notice a green, lethargic, turtle looking kwami float out of the gramophone and hover over to float by Master Fu, nodding at Plagg and the red kwami as it went.

Once the door was closed Master Fu went over to a small side table where a teapot sat on a hotplate keeping its contents warm. It looked a lot like the one that Ladybug had summoned with her lucky charm the night they fought the Sapotis, just before Rena Rouge arrived to aid them.

As Master Fu brought out three cups and began to poor, gesturing the teens over to join him, it all clicked in Adrien's mind. Marinette was Ladybug, there was no other explanation for it. That meant that her kwami was the Ladybug Kwami. Well that made things interesting for Adrien. He was now looking at Marinette in a new light. If she was indeed Ladybug then that meant she was the girl he was in love with. This was going to be interesting, he had never seen Marinette as more than a friend but she was Ladybug that meant that he was likely in love with her. He would have to ponder this at a later date, for now he needed answers from Master Fu.

Adrien slowly walked over to the table and knelt down in the traditional Chinese fashion opposite Master Fu as the old healer poured him a cup of tea. Marinette slowly, still beet red, walked over to join them and accepted a cup of tea in nervous, trembling hands. Her actions and blush gave Adrien a moments pause, did Marinette like him as more than a friend? Again it was something he would have to ponder at a later date.

While they were doing this Adrien noticed the three kwamis had flown over to the gramophone and were siting around a miniature version of the table their masters all sat around. The green kwami had just poured tea for the red one and then offered some to Plagg who shook his head. Adrien could have sworn he heard the green kwami sigh and fly into the gramophone only to return a moment later with small, kwami sized glass of red wine and a plate of tiny cheeses that Plagg nodded emphatically at. Great now his kwami was trying to be sophisticated and Adrien had a feeling that if Plagg wasn't careful, or just didn't care, he would get very drunk very quickly.

A cough from Master Fu distracted him and Adrien shook his head to clear it of his kwami's odd habits and looked at a smiling Master Fu. It was time to learn what the fuck was going on.

"Adrien, Marinette I think you have figured it out now, you are both smart kids, but to confirm." Master Fu began with a serious look at both of them. "Adrien is the holder of the Cat Miraculous, therefore he is Cat Noir and his kwami is called Plagg. Marinette is the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, therefore she is Ladybug and her kwami is called Tikki. Now that that is out of the way, Adrien I am Master Fu and I am in fact a healer. I am also the Great Guardian of the Miraculouses and likely the last living member of the Order of the Guardians, an order charged with protecting and distributing the Miraculouses. Other than the two you hold, the Turtle Miraculous that I wear, and my kwami is called Wayzz by the way, the Moth and the Peacock, well technically Peahen as Duusu is female, Miraculouses, I am in charge of guarding the rest and keep them with me here. I chose both of you as you passed my tests to prove that you were worthy of the Miraculouses I gave you. Hawk Moth has the Moth Miraculous and no one knows where the Peahen Miraculous is. I think that about covers it. Any questions?"

"The Peahen Miraculous." Adrien began. Once all Master Fu had said sunk in, the peacock reference jogged something in the back of Adrien's mind. "What does it look like?"

"A fanned out peacock tail." Master Fu said automatically. "The specific item of jewelry that it is is a broach, as is the Moth Miraculous though that looks like a spread out moth wings. Why it is a peacock design when Duusu has a female personality and as such is a peahen not a peacock is a mystery to me. Only the creator of the Miraculouses knows why. Why do you ask Adrien?"

"I, I, may have seen something like that before." Adrien said thinking back to the strange broach he had seen in his father's secret safe. This caused both Master Fu an Marinette, who still seemed incapable of speech, to look at him.

"Where?" Master Fu asked seriously. "It has been lost for years, around the same time as the Moth Miraculous was lost hence why we think that whoever has the Moth Miraculous has the Peahen one as well. Therefore, when Hawk Moth appeared I thought that the Peahen Miraculous might be with him as well as the Moth Miraculous."

"I will have to double check." Adrien said trying not to think about what the implications could be if he was right. "I want to be sure before I say anything, I hope you understand."

"I do." Master Fu said with a sigh. "It is a serious thing if you are right and I understand the desire to make sure you are correct. Seeing as I am sure you will have other questions to ask why don't we meet in a week. That way you have time to check out this possible lead and then we can talk more about everything going on. I am sure you will have more questions to ask in time and there is more I would like to go over with you in private if that is ok."

"I will look into this, Master Fu." Adrien said as he took a sip of the tea. It was really good but then again Master Fu clearly knew what he was doing with the tea. "I should be able to make it next week."

"Good." Master Fu said with a kind smile before putting on a very serious face. "Now that all of this is in the open between you two two, you both are going to have to be extra careful regarding your secret identities. I had hoped that this would not happen but it was inevitable that it would. This was certainly not the way I was imagining to to happen but as I said earlier this is probably the best way it could have happen and now we will have to deal with this going forward. Make sure you are alone if you are going to discus this with each other and be very careful. Marinette, I could tell that you wanted to talk about the Fox Miraculous but that will have to wait until another time as this is much more important."

Master Fu paused and looked at Marinette who nodded at his words.

"I understand." Marinette said quietly, a slight tremor still in her voice. She had clearly not gotten over what had just happened and Adrien made a mental note to ensure he was there for his lady to help her through this, it was the least he could do he thought.

"Once this revelation has been sorted out I will come back when you are alone and ask. I am sorry I barged in, I wasn't expecting to cause a problem today." Marinette continued her voice becoming more steady. "This is something I want to discus but I understand that it has to wait, there is so much Adrien and I have to digest first."

"And I wasn't expecting to heal a sick kwami today but sometimes life happens." Master Fu said with a smile. "Do not blame yourself Marinette, perhaps this is for the best. Now that you both know who the other is I believe that you can help each other more than before. Besides I think there are a few things you two are going to have to work out now that you know who the other is and all that that now entails, on a more personal level that is."

With that Master Fu winked at them causing both teens to blush, look at each other and then look away their blushes deepening as Master Fu just smiled and drank his tea. Yes the pair would see each other in a new light from now on and in time they would realize that they were in love with each other but could only realize it now that they knew the other's secret.

* * *

Master Fu watched as the teens blushed and quietly drank their tea. Once they were done they both rose, bowed to Master Fu, gathered their kwamis and left, likely to go find a place where they could talk over all of this in private and hopefully finally confess their feelings to each other.

Master Fu knew it would make them stronger as a team once they did sort this out. Perhaps fate had decided this was best, or the kwamis concocted this. Master Fu thought that it might be the later because as far as he knew it was too coincidental that the pair would be here together at the same time. Tikki could easily persuade Marinette to talk to him about Rena Rouge but more importantly, as far as Master Fu knew, Plagg never got sick.

 **The only thing to note here is Duusu and my admittedly semantic irritation with how the show seems to be going with her. According to the show kwamis are like Hutts from Star Wars, genderless beings that effect either masculine or feminine personalities hence why they use male or female pronouns. Wayzz, Plagg, Trixx, and Nooroo (the later one in the English version that is) are all male personalities while Duusu, Pollen and Tikki are feminine. A peacock is a male member of the Peafowl species, a peahen is the female and only the male has that impressive tail because it is use to find a mate. Therefore, because I am pedantic I will refer to the Peacock Miraculous as the Peahen Miraculous out of respect for Duusu's feminine personality. Anyway enough pedantic shit,** ** **due to my schedule there is a chance that next week's oneshot is one of my self created backups that I have in reserve for when there is no prompt as I may not have the time to write the prompt that has been suggested** for next week. Hopefully I do get the time to write that prompt as it is a fun one and I have a good outline for it. Otherwise keep the prompts coming in reviews or PMs and I will get to them in time (so long as they fit this story, there is a prompt that fits a short story idea I am working on and not this particular story). Anyway keep letting me know what you think of in reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	7. Injury

**Here is the 7th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested a few weeks back after 'Oblivious' by Whovianeverlark17. The concept behind this revelation is one I had already used in one of my backup prompts but not as the core concept, merely as a method for the revelation to occur. This oneshot however will revolve around the method of revelation and how it leads to the revelation and its aftermath. I will continue to use this method in later prompts as way for the revelation to happen but this will be the only oneshot where the method itself is the prompt and centerpiece of the story. So without further adieu sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Injury.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Injury** **\- Marinette may be graceful and composed when she is Ladybug but as Marinette she is naturally clumsy. Usually she is lucky and avoids problems but sometimes her clumsiness can lead to injuries. Unfortunately for Marinette her latest injury isn't one she can hide in either her civilian or superhero form so when a certain classmate and superhero sees both he puts two and two together to discover the identity of his Lady. How will Adrien play this and what will ensue because of Marinette's injury?**

* * *

 **Injury**

Marinette hummed happily to herself as she busied around the bakery the morning before school. It had been a quiet week in Paris and for once Marinette was all caught up on her normal life. With no akuma attacks to bother or distract her, possibly because Chloe was off on holiday in the south while her father gauged support for a possible presidential run, Marinette had finally been able to catch up on homework. Finally after a week of hard studying she was all caught up with school, she was able to hang out with Alya more, and she had the time to help her parents in the bakery so that they didn't have to work as hard as usual.

That was what she was doing right now, helping in the bakery. She had decided it would be nice to let her parents sleep in and prepare the fresh bread and pastries herself so that they could open once she left for school. Her parents did so much for her so Marinette tried to help them out whenever she could and with no akumas or homework that was what Marinette planned to do this morning. At least that had been her plan but Marinette naturally forgot that she was her usual clumsy self and a bakery was the perfect place for an accident. Despite living in one all her life and working in it ever since she was old enough to help out, Marinette was still not immune to her less than graceful nature.

She had just pulled out a tray of fresh macaroons, her specialty, and was carrying them carefully to place them on display in one of the side counters out front when it happened. Marinette tripped. How she tripped she didn't know but she assumed it was because she was paying more attention to the fresh, delicious, macaroons that she had just made than to the floor and just tripped over her own feet. Whatever the reason it still happened. One moment she was walking calmly to the counter, the next the side of the glass counter was coming up to meet her face as the macaroons and the tray they were on went flying.

Marinette didn't have any time to protect herself or react in any other way other than to shout out one word before she face planted painfully into the counter.

"Merde."

The next thing Marinette knew she was lying on the floor and staring dazedly up at the ceiling with macaroons strewn around her while Tikki and a few ladybugs zooming in a dizzying circle around her head. Groaning in pain Marinette slowly sat up and blinked blearily as she looked around the bakery. Fortunately the fall had not broken the glass case or else she would have been seriously injured but as she focused she saw that the glass was cracked slightly. In addition there was a red smear on the case and Marinette instantly knew, and with a hint of nausea, that it was blood, her blood. Marinette then ran her tongue over her teeth to see if they were all there given the fact that she had fallen face first into a glass display case. As far as she could tell they were all there but given the coppery taste in her mouth she was certain that the had cut the inside of her mouth from the blow.

"Marinette, thank the gods that you're ok." Tikki said flying over to hug her cheek causing Marinette to flinch in pain and Tikki to fly back as if she had touched something hot. "Sorry wrong side, I was just worried you had seriously injured yourself."

"Tikki." Marinette groaned out as she reached up and winced at the tenderness on her left cheek. Touching her forehead she looked at her fingers, they were bright red. "Wha… what happened?"

As Marinette spoke she felt her mouth filling with blood and was forced to spit it out into her hand. It wasn't as much as she feared but it still wasn't a good sign.

"You tripped over yourself and smacked your face on the glass." Tikki said helpfully. "I couldn't do anything to help. Fortunately your parents use thick glass in the display cases or else it could have been a lot worse."

"Sounds like just my luck." Marinette said with a sigh. "It has been too long since my clumsiness caused an injury. How bad is it? I don't feel too bad other than the throbbing pain in my face."

Tikki didn't reply but flew over to Marinette's bag and grabbed Marinette's small makeup mirror. Her kwami then flew over and held the mirror up so that Marinette could look at her reflection. As soon as Marinette saw she gave a painful wince. A bright red bright bruise developing on her left cheek that went from under her eye down to her jaw and Marinette knew the coloring would deepen before it got better, this was not going to be attractive. In addition there was a nasty looking but fortunately shallow cut over her left eye. The bleeding had already stopped and Marinette was confident that it wouldn't scar once it was healed. There was also a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth and as she smiled she saw that here teeth were stained red. At least she didn't feel think she had a concussion but she could be wrong. It could have been much worse but Marinette wasn't too happy with what happened regardless.

"Thanks Tikki." Marinette groaned as she stood up. She had to steady herself on the counter for a moment as she was dizzy and slightly nauseous from the exertion, Marinette realized she might have a mild concussion but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. "I need to go clean up and put a band aid on. Can you clean up here as best you can?"

Tikki nodded with an affirmative squeak and Marinette smiled as she headed to the bathroom in the back of the bakery. Her parents always kept first aid supplies there just in case. Sighing at the sight of her face in the mirror and how unattractive it would make her look around Adrien but there was nothing she could do about it. Running the water warm, Marinette washed the cut, and was relived to see it was smaller than she had feared. Quickly rubbing it with an antiseptic wipe she applied a band aid over it so that it hid the cut but did nothing to hide the fact that there was something there. Then she picked out a cotton ball from the first aid kit and stuck it in her mouth, moving over to her left cheek so that it would mop up the blood there. She would keep it there until school and then spit it out.

There was nothing she could do about the bruise other than find an ice pack for it however as Marinette didn't have the makeup skills to hide it so she just left it. Heading back to the bakery found that Tikki had cleaned up the macaroons by eating all of them and was now lying on the empty tray with a bulging belly and a contented look on her face. Tikki was clearly in a blissful food coma.

Marinette smiled at her greedy, sweet toothed, little kwami before picking her up and putting her into her bag. Marinette then cleaned up the tray and quickly disinfected the counter and cleaned up her blood from it, though there was nothing she could do about the small crack in it. When she was done Marinette checked her watch and cursed, she was going to be late for school so there was no way that she could avoid this.

Grabbing her purse and bag Marinette began to run to school. As soon as she realized that the exertion was going to cause her to vomit she slowed to a fast walk, she would have to research mild concussion symptoms and treatments at lunch to see how it would effect her Ladybug duties. What Marinette was not looking forward to was what Chloe's comments would be about her appearance, especially if Chloe came back with a tan from her holiday, but Marinette could live with Chloe being a bitch, it was usual for that girl after all. At least the bruise was on her cheek and not her eyes so she didn't look like a raccoon though that didn't make the bruise anymore attractive. As she walked Marinette hoped that she would make to school in time.

Marinette just made to school in time before the final bell having tried to run the last few yards to school. She skidded into the classroom, almost falling over again, just as Ms. Bustier was getting the students to sit down. Doing her best to ignore the murmurs at her appearance and not show it to Chloe or Sabrina, an impossible task as Chloe was on her left as she made her way to her seat, Marinette took her usual seat behind Nino and Adrien and next to Alya. She had just enough time to remove the blood soaked cotton wad from her mouth and put it in her bag before Ms. Bustier began the lesson.

"Girl are you ok?" Alya asked in a whisper as soon as Marinette said down. "You look like you walked into a wall."

"Face planted a glass display case in the bakery before school." Marinette replied just as quietly with a wave as if it was nothing big. "You know me, just being clumsy that's all. It's not as painful as it looks."

"Well after this class we are going to the locker room." Alya said. "I am going to try and help you cover it up as much as possible or else Chloe will rip you a new one. Unfortunately your skin tone is different from mine and you rarely carry makeup so there is only so much I can do."

"Thanks." Marinette said with kind smile at her best friend. "I am worried about that. I can handle Chloe, I just don't like giving her ammunition."

The rest of the class passed by uneventfully though Chloe kept glancing back at Marinette and smirking at and mocking Marinette's injury. As soon as class was over Alya rushed Marinette to the nearest bathroom and helped her as best she could to cover it but the bruise had deepened from red to a dark blue. All Alya could do was lighten it a bit as there was no way to hide it, at least not until it died down a bit in a about a week.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Marinette. All of her friends offered her sympathy for her injury and advice for how to treat it. When Adrien had done so she had blushed so hard she was certain the color on her left cheek must be impressive when the blush met the bruise, if a bruise could blush that is. It touched her that they all cared, especially Adrien, though they did all agree it was a very Marinette way to injure herself. Marinette did have to laugh, an act that was very painful to do, at how she had injured herself, it had been the kinda thing she would do.

The only person who offered her no sympathy was Chloe, even Sabrina had quietly offered her some when Chloe wasn't looking. Chloe had just laughed at Marinette for it, called her a klutz, and went as far as saying that it actually improved her look while flaunting her tan and winking at Adrien when she said she had no tan lines anywhere. That last comment tempted Marinette to give Chloe a matching injury but Adrien came to her defense by saying that Marinette looked pretty regardless of the injury. Marinette was sure she would faint at that and that wouldn't help her at all, she definitely forgot to breath when Adrien had complemented her. All Chloe did was huff at her and stop away with Sabrina tailing her in her wake.

Overall the day had been mixed and Marinette was glad when it was done. When she got home her parents agreed that she shouldn't help out around the bakery until she healed so she took the time to catch up on as much work as possible so that she wouldn't fall to far behind when her Ladybug duties ate into her time once more. With Chloe back Marinette was sure that the akuma attacks would return soon Speaking of duties she was supposed to meet Cat Noir that night for one of their random patrols of Paris. Marinette had research concussions when she had gotten home and felt, based on her symptoms, that she had at most a grade I concussion and as such could go on patrol. If there was an akuma attack however, Cat Noir would have to handle it while she offered support as she didn't think the exertion would be good for. When she voiced all this to Tikki, her kwami wasn't too comfortable with the idea of her going out on patrol in the state she was in.

"Marinette, you really shouldn't go out as Ladybug unless there is an akuma attack." Tikki said once Marinette was done with her homework and after ogling Adrien for a few minutes, drooling a little. Marinette ignored Tikki as she began to get ready for the patrol so the kwami continued. "What if someone matches the wounds on Ladybug's face to those on Marinette."

"What do you mean Tikki?" Marinette asked as she ran over to a mirror to look at the bruise on her cheek, despite icing it the bruise was still going to last a while.

"Well your injuries are on your face." Tikki pointed out flying over to gesture at them. "So they won't be hidden by the suit. Also while you may be more durable when transformed, the injuries you suffered today occurred while you were normal so the pain from them will be present. There is no way for you to hide that bruise or the band aid on your forehead. Also the after effects of what I believe is a mild concussion might affect your abilities should you over exert yourself. "

"I'll be fine Tikki." Marinette said giving her kwami a brushing off gesture as she turned away from the mirror. "Yes it may be noticeable but what are the odds that I know Cat Noir in real life? There are what, 10 million people in the Paris metro area give or take. Even factoring in age, race, gender, and hair color there are likely at least a million guys who could be Cat Noir. I'll take those odds."

For some reason Tikki was oddly silent at this but Marinette took her kwami's silence to mean that Marinette was right and not something ominous. It was time to meet Cat Noir.

"Tikki, spots on." Marinette said and in a flash of magic she was Ladybug once again.

As quietly and as carefully as possible Marinette left her room via the roof and when she knew it was clear she swung away on her yo-yo and pulled herself into the night. Tonight Cat Noir and her were going to meet atop the Arc de Triomphe in the Champs-Elysees to begin their patrol.

Cat Noir was already atop the Arc when she arrived. He was lying on his back spinning his staff in his fingers and looking at the stars. As soon as she landed on the iconic Arc he leapt up and bowed to her, taking her hand and kissing it the way he always did.

"M'lady, as always I am honored by your presence." Cat Noir said before looking up and seeing her injury. Even at night her injury was clearly visible and she saw the concern in Cat's face at it.

"Me-ow bugaboo, what happened?" He asked clearly worried about her but not enough to give up on his annoying puns. "You seem to have hurt your beautiful face. I do hope that it isn't permanent."

"It's not as bad as it looks." Marinette said taking her hand back and touched by Cat's concern. "I fell this morning and smacked my face on a glass display case at my parent's shop. It could have been worse and don't worry it's just a bruise, a small cut on my forehead and inside my cheek, and a mild concussion I think. Now if you are done making terrible puns we have a patrol to go on."

"My puns are always the cat's meow, m'lady." Cat Noir said with a smile though for a brief moment Marinette thought there was a glint of recognition in Cat's eyes at her injury but it was gone so quickly that Marinette wasn't sure it was there to begin with. Cat Noir began speaking again driving that thought from her mind. "But if you say you are ok then I will not press you, just worried about my bugaboo. Lead on m'lady."

Marinette just rolled her eyes at her superhero partner and swung away knowing that he would follow. The patrol was quiet and uneventful and once it was over they made plans for the next one and separated. Marinette returned home pleased that Cat had been concerned about her injury and glad that he hadn't recognized it. She couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

Adrien waited until he was back in his room before voicing the theory that had been on his mind since the start of the patrol. As soon as he was back in his room and his window was closed Adrien transformed back into himself and sat down on his couch.

"I can't believe it." He said to Plagg who had flown off to find the usual wheel of cheese that Adrien kept for him for after patrols.

"Believe what?" Plagg said through a mouthful of cheese as he hovered over to Adrien carrying his prize.

"I think I know who Ladybug is." Adrien said causing Plagg to drop the cheese and have to swoop down and catch it before it hit the floor.

"You know she doesn't want you to know who she is." Plagg pointed out returning to his gorging. "And besides, Master Fu wants you both to keep your identities secret from each other."

"Yes but I didn't mean to figure it out." Adrien said defensively. "Besides I did nothing myself to find out who she is, she revealed herself to me."

"She did?" Plagg asked. "Cos as far as I saw, through you, was a normal Ladybug tonight."

"Ir was that injury on her face." Adrien said as his voice became a little wistful. "It is exactly like one I saw earlier. I am certain they are identical."

"Who?" Plagg said clearly more interested in the cheese than Adrien's theory but indulging him. "Let's hear your latest theory on who Ladybug is."

"Marinette." Adrien said finally voicing his theory. "She came to school today with exactly the same injury. Plus Ladybug's story of face planting a glass display case at her parents' work matches how Marinette got hers."

This time Plagg did drop the cheese on the floor. Adrien smiled, he knew his kwami was terrible had keeping a secret once it was exposed and the little kwami had just confirmed Adrien's theory.

"Well Plagg?" Adrien asked smiling at his his kwami who had just retrieved his cheese wedge from the floor. "Am I right?"

"I shall neither confirm not deny it." Plagg said shaking his little head, his eyes closed. "What is it those Americans say, oh I remember, I plead the 5th. We kwamis had an inalienable right to remain silent."

"Plagg we aren't in America, their 5th amendment right against self incrimination doesn't apply in the French Republic." Adrien pointed out with a smile. "But your reaction is enough to confirm my theory."

"So this means that the girl you have been crushing on hard all this time is Marinette." Plagg said. "Wow, that would be interesting if you are right."

"Plagg I know I am right." Adrien said giving his kwami a smug look before thinking on what it meant that Marinette was Ladybug and therefore his love. "But you are right it does mean that I have a crush on Marinette. I always saw her as a good friend but now that I imagine her as Ladybug I am seeing her in a different light. Well there is one way to test to see if I do have feelings for Marinette and confirm my theory."

"There is?" Plagg asked now going back to his cheese.

"Yup I'm going to video call her phone." Adrien said getting up and going over to his phone. "Alya gave me her number a while back just in case I needed it and now I need it. This way I can check up on her, confirm the injuries match and then spend a few hours getting to know her. If all goes well I should know whether or not I have feelings for her when all is said done."

"Well don't disturb me." Plagg said. "I have my own romantic night planned with Mademoiselle Camembert to get back to."

Adrien just snorted at his kwami's unnatural love for cheese and grabbed out his phone from where he had left it atop the piano before he went out on patrol. Flicking through his contacts he found Marinette's and looked at it. Her picture, taken from social media as his phone linked to his social media accounts, was a clear face shot of her and Alya. Looking at it in detail Adrien tried to imagine the polka dotted mask of Ladybug over Marinette's eyes and almost dropped his phone. The resemblance would be striking, Adrien was shocked by that but more shocked when he realized he probably should have seen that earlier. He had felt that his identity wasn't that well protected by the mask and ears but so far no one had realized so Adrien wasn't going to question it. This only strengthened his theory that Marinette was Ladybug. Pressing her number and selecting the video function it was time to confirm his theory.

The phone rang for a few moments before Marinette answered it. As soon as she saw who was calling she jumped out of her desk chair and crashed to the floor. Adrien winced hoping Marinette hadn't hurt herself again. As Marinette fell her camera panned around her room and Adrien was certain that he saw a few of his modeling pictures on one of her walls before Marinette dropped the phone and he got a good view of the carpet. A moment later Marinette picked up her phone and looked at it, this time her back to a window.

"A-a-a-drien, surprise wha… what a, a, surprise." Marinette said her cheeks going bright red as she stuttered and got tongue tied speaking to him, a surprisingly common occurrence that Adrien chalked up to him being a famous model. "I w-wasn't expecting call you, I-I mean I wasn't e-expecting to get a call from you."

"Sorry to shock you." Adrien said a little surprised by Marinette's reaction. "I didn't mean it. I just thought I would check in on you and see how you were feeling given your injury. I know a thing or two about facial injuries given my work as a model so I thought I would check up and maybe see if you wanted a few tips for dealing with it."

"Oh, thank you." Marinette said blushing deeply for some reason, the blush contrasting sharply with the blue bruise on her cheek. "Th-that is so thoughtful of you. I-I am much better doing, I mean I'm doing much better thanks for asking."

Even through her blush Adrien could clearly see the bruise on her left cheek and knew that it was identical to the one that Ladybug had been sporting earlier. There was now no doubt in Adrien's mind as to who Ladybug was. Now it was time to see if he liked Marinette as much as he liked Ladybug and try and get her to see him as something more than a friend in the process.

"That's good to hear." Adrien said leaning back on his sofa. "I would suggest ice for the bruise. Regulate it to about 10 to 20 minutes and several times a day."

"Yeah that's what Alya said." Marinette said with a smile, her initial shock disappearing as she settled back on what Adrien assumed was her windowsill. "I did that earlier but after my face went numb I decided to take a break."

"A wise idea." Adrien said with a smile. "It will help reduce the swelling but you can't keep it on there forever. Unfortunately it will take at least a 2 weeks to die down."

"Haha yeah I'm not good with the cold for some reason." Marinette replied. "I know I don't like it but at least it's just a bruise, nothing worse. I'm surprised you know about this, I have never seen you with any bruises in the past."

"Oh well the life of a model can cause them." Adrien said causing Marinette to giggle just like Ladybug did. "I have gotten them in the past I am just so good at hiding them that it has become second nature. As a model I have people who know how to mask a bruise with makeup, not the most manly thing but dad insists that I have to keep up my looks even when not modeling."

"Well I've never noticed anything that has taken away from your handsome face." Marinette said and then blushed deep red. "Or that you have worn makeup, not that it would be unmanly on you."

"Thanks for the complement." Adrien said with a smile and a slight blush of his own. Marinette's compliments gave him a warm feeling he usually only got from Ladybug, no surprise seeing as Adrien knew that they were one and same. "Don't worry the bruise does nothing to take away from your pretty face."

It appeared that Marinette could achieve an even deeper shade of red than she was already sporting and her breathing seemed to stop for a few moments. For the first time Adrien thought that Marinette might have a small crush on him based on her reaction but it was only a flicker of a thought. Adrien was pretty oblivious when it came to girls but even he thought that he wasn't that oblivious as to not notice when a girl crushing on him he thought, he got that from his fans after all.

"Th-thanks." Marinette finally got out.

"So." Adrien said changing the subject to something he had a feeling Marinette would be more confident with. "Have you done anymore fashion designs, other than the feathers that I am allergic to I enjoyed modeling your hat."

"Oh yes I have." Marinette said her blush dying a little as they began talking about one of her passions. "I am always designing. I only make a few of them but I do like to keep many designs just in case."

"Any current designs that would look great on me?" Adrien asked with a smile. "I hope you have a few male designs in your book, right?"

"Well anything designed for a man would look good on you and I have a few good ones that I made with you in mind." Marinette said, her blush deepening a little. "Let me just get my book and show you some. One day I will make them, when I have more time that is."

They spent the next few hours just talking about anything and everything. Marinette was really into fashion, a good gamer, and a big Jagged Stone fan and Adrien realized that if they kept the conversation on Marinette's likes she didn't stutter or breakdown while talking to him. Well she didn't stutter that much, she occasionally still stutter at the start of some sentences. These were her passions, what she was most confident talking about and it showed when they talked. Adrien likewise shared his own passions and likes with her in return though she seemed to know a lot of them anyway, probably from one of the many magazine articles about his life that Adrien hated.

The more they talked that night the more Marinette came out of her shell to Adrien and the more Ladybug he saw in her. She was everything Ladybug was and more as he knew that Ladybug and Cat Noir were not the be all and end all of their personalities. It was clear to Adrien why Marinette had been selected to be Ladybug and the Ladybug he was in love would not be the same person if she was not Marinette. It meant that Adrien loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng and he would have to do something about that and soon.

After a solid 4 hours of talking Marinette checked the time and blanched. Adrien did as well and realized that it was well after 3am. The time had flown by and Adrien did not regret it for a minute.

"I should probably get to sleep." Marinette said with an audible sigh while stifling a yawn.

"Yeah same." Adrien said sighing as well. "I've loved talking to you though, goodnight, see you tomorrow in class."

"I love you to… I mean I loved talking with you too." Marinette said going red but Adrien chalked it up to her occasionally getting tongue tied around him. "See you tomorrow."

With that Adrien hung up and sighed contentedly. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy, probably back when his mother was still around and they were a happy family. It had been a wonderful talk with Marinette and Adrien did not regret staying up so late. Adrien knew that he loved Marinette after tonight's conversation. He had no idea that Marinette was feeling exactly the same thing and more back in her room.

Adrien made up his mind, as he finally got ready for the few hours of sleep he would get, that tomorrow he would ask Marinette out to dinner. He was nervous about it but he modeled for a living so he was used to nerves. He just hoped that she would say yes and that he could come up with a good idea for dinner for them if she did say yes.

Yawning Adrien stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. Plagg had used Adrien's distraction to gorge himself on Camembert and was now passed out in a contented food coma in the empty cheese wheel. Adrien just shook his head at his greedy kwami, turned of the light and within moments he was asleep.

Adrien woke up to the sound his alarm a few hours later. Despite the lack of sleep, as soon as he remembered what happened last night and what he planned to today he woke up immediately. Smiling, Adrien got ready in his usual clothes, took a quick shower, grabbed his bag and headed down for breakfast. After a simple breakfast and an update on his schedule from Nathalie, Adrien got up and headed out.

"Nathalie." Adrien said as he left causing his father's assistant to look at him with her usual impassive look. "Is my father around for dinner?"

"No, he has to attend a business meeting in Lyon." Nathalie said after quickly glancing at her schedule. "He will be gone for a few days."

"Ok." Adrien said for once not disappointed his father wouldn't be present at dinner. "Could you set up the rooftop patio for a dinner for two tonight?"

"I assume that this is because you have a date." Nathalie said, a quirk of an eyebrow the only deviation from her usual professional demeanor. "Or at least are planning one."

"Hopefully." Adrien said with a nervous smile. "I intend to ask her today and I thought that we have dinner here given father's desire to keep me isolated. I will let you know if she says yes."

"That should work." Nathalie said looking over the tablet she used to keep their schedule. "Who is the lucky girl that you intend to ask out."

"Er, Marinette." Adrien said getting a little flustered. He was a little uncomfortable talking about private stuff with Nathalie but if Marinette said yes then Nathalie would know anyway.

"The baker's daughter?" Nathalie asked and Adrien nodded in confirmation. "Very well I shall have it set up for tonight."

"I don't know if she will say yes." Adrien pointed out.

"She will." Nathalie said not looking up from her schedule. "Trust me. Now your bodyguard is waiting to take you to school."

Adrien didn't know what to say to Nathalie's comment so he just picked up his bag and left. The drive to school was as uneventful as always and in moments Adrien was at the school. Getting out and thanking his bodyguard he hurried up the steps hoping to catch Marinette alone so that he could ask her out without other people watching.

That turned out to be easier than he had hoped. As soon as Adrien got to the central courtyard he noticed Marinette there with Alya and Nino. Marinette looked tired but happy and Adrien walked calmly over to them. Marinette hadn't tried to cover the bruise on her cheek, it was slowly going purple and still too dark to make any attempt to cover.

"Dude you're here on time." Nino said giving Adrien a fist bump when he arrived. "For once both you and Marinette are here on time, that's almost unheard of."

"Yeah though you both look tired." Alya said pointedly and both Marinette and Adrien blushed slightly, the first time Marinette had blushed around him this morning. "Its as if you were both up all night."

"Late night." Both teens confirmed in unison.

"Okay I see what happened." Alya said with a knowing wink. "Come on Nino let's get to class."

"Wha..."

With that Alya grabbed her boyfriend and dragged him away leaving a slightly stunned Marinette and Adrien both doing their best impressions of a deer in headlights. That was convenient, too convenient. Alya clearly suspected something.

"Er." Was all Marinette seemed to be able to say so Adrien decided to take the plunge.

"I had a good time last night." Adrien told her and Marinette blushed deeper. Her bruise had gone down a little but was still very present on her left cheek.

"So did I." Marinette said in a quiet voice as if being in Adrien's presence made her more nervous than talking on the phone had the night before.

"After last night I was wondering something." Adrien said nervously and Marinette looked at him, hope and what Adrien thought might be adoration for some reason in her eyes. "Would you like to get dinner with me, you know as in a date."

"YES!" Marinette yelled causing everyone around them to look over and Marinette was suddenly blushing furiously. "I would love too."

"Good." Adrien said with a relieved breath. Marinette's reaction had been more enthusiastic and louder than he had expected. "Can you do tonight? I know it is sudden but my dad is out of town so I can have Nathalie set it up on our roof and well with dad out of town I can't leave the mansion except for school and fencing."

"Yeah that works." Marinette said with a radiant smile that was slightly ruined by the small traces of blood on her teeth, clearly the cut in her mouth hadn't fully healed yet. "After yesterday I am banned from working in the bakery until I heal so I should have time, my other major commitment isn't tonight."

Adrien smiled knowing full well that the other commitment was her patrol as Ladybug. They weren't set to patrol for another few days so Marinette was free and Adrien planned to make it a memorable date. There was one thing he knew he would have to do tonight and he was ready for that. In all honesty he had been ready for that for a long time and now he finally had an excuse to do it. Suddenly the bell rang signifying the start of the class and causing both teens to jump slightly and rush off to class.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully for Adrien. Chloe kept giving Marinette the usual dirty looks and Adrien would someday learn why the girls hated each other so much but not today. Alya dragged Marinette away at lunch likely to grill her on what happened, Nino did the same with Adrien though he didn't say anything to Nino about Marinette, and classes were the usual. After classes ended Adrien had fencing practice before heading home.

Upon getting home Nathalie informed him that everything was ready for his date, before Adrien even confirmed Marinette had said yes. Apparently his father's assistant knew Marinette would say yes before Adrien did. Then again she always seemed to know what would happen before it did, it was what made her such a good assistant. Adrien just thanked Nathalie and went to his room. He had to get ready and talk with Plagg about his plan.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Plagg asked as he lay in the empty wheel of Camembert he had just devoured. "I mean you don't even know that Marinette is Ladybug."

"I am certain of it." Adrien said confidently. "But you won't confirm it despite the fact that I know you know who Ladybug is."

"We kwamis have a right to remain silent." Plagg said again causing Adrien to role his eyes.

"Well soon you won't have to remain silent." Adrien said as he opened his wardrobe. "Cos after dinner I plan on revealing myself as Cat Noir to her."

"Is there any point in trying to talk you out of this or tell you that you have to keep it secret." Plagg said.

"None whatsoever." Adrien said with a smile. "Now be quiet, I have to get ready."

Plagg dutifully shut up, or more accurately was shut up by Adrien throwing more cheese at his cheese obsessed kwami. While Plagg was munching Adrien looked through his wardrobe to see what to wear. In the end he settled for a simple black suit and matching formal, french cuff shirt and black leather shoes. Adrien liked black because of how it made his eyes look and now wearing it made him look a little like Cat Noir, something he would show Marinette later. Going over to a small box in his wardrobe Adrien selected a nice, sleek watch and a pair of silver cuff links with the Agreste logo on them. Looking at himself in the mirror Adrien smiled at the appearance. He usually hated getting dressed up for a shoot but when it came down to looking nice for the girl he was in love with, he was more than happy to do it.

"Adrien." Nathalie's voice came in over the internal intercom. "There is a very beautiful young woman here for you."

Adrien smiled and left his room, Plagg dutifully flying into his jacket as he left his room. Adrien walked to the grand staircase in the building and stopped staring open mouthed at Marinette who was standing, blushing slightly in foyer. She looked stunning.

Marinette was wearing a flowing red dress that hugged her frame perfectly, her hair had been straightened and was down for once, framing her face. She wore little makeup, except for where her bruise was where it was clear that Alya had tried to hide it as best she could and failed miserably at the attempt. Marinette was smiling at Adrien as he headed down the stairs to greet, regaining his composure as he walked. At Marinette's hip was her usual purse but that was the only thing that she usual wore that was still present and Adrien had a feeling that her kwami lived in that purse. Adrien had a feeling that the dress was self made and it looked really good, he would have to suggest to his father to give Marinette an internship as a designer as she did have some serious talent. His father was always looking for local talent and Marinette certainly had it.

"You look gorgeous Marinette." Adrien said when he reached the bottom of the steps, greeting her with a kiss on each cheek in the traditional French fashion, though Adrien made sure to be careful with the bruise on her left cheek.

"As do you." Marinette said returning the greeting and blushing at all the contact between them.

"If you two will come with me I will escort you up to the rooftop patio." Nathalie said politely interrupting them as she gestured them to an elevator. "The food is already set out on hot or cold plates depending on the course so there is no need to bother you until your night is over."

Adrien was always impressed with his father's assistant's forethought and planning. Once they reached the patio Adrien realized he had once again underestimated Nathalie's abilities. On the patio was a table for two with a white cloth, lit candles and closed outdoor umbrella nearby just in case it rained. The sun was setting and the twilight made the night even more romantic, it was the perfect setting for the night. The food was on a side table being kept covered and warm or cold depending on the dish. Adrien pulled Marinette's chair out for her and then went over and served them the first course. When Adrien lifted the lid on the tray labeled '1st course' the dish turned out to a simple onion soup.

Dinner was as good as Adrien expected. The family chef was one of the best chefs in Paris and he had prepared a succulent three course meal that Adrien proceeded to serve them. Marinette helped a bit and while Adrien wanted to stop her as she was his date, she was very stubborn. Her stubbornness was very much like Ladybug's stubbornness and Adrien still found that irresistible, it was another reason why Marinette was the perfect Ladybug.

Over the course of the dinner they continued to talk about anything and everything. During dessert, as the sun finally set, Adrien took Marinette's hand across the table causing her to blush but she didn't pull away and they continued to hold hands for the rest of dinner.

Once dinner was over Adrien helped Marinette up from the table and lead her over to the stone railing so that they could look over Paris at night. It was very romantic standing there under the stars.

As soon as they were standing at the railing Adrien put his arm around Marinette's waist and pulled her close. Marinette melted into him and put her head on his shoulder, sighing in contentment. It had been a perfect night but Adrien still had one more important thing to do.

"I hope you have enjoyed tonight." Adrien said as he smiled down at Marinette.

"I did." Marinette sighed looking at him. "I couldn't have asked for a better first date."

Adrien could see the love and affection in her eyes and if there were any doubts that Adrien had regarding Marinette's feelings for him they were gone now. It was clear that she had liked him for a long time and Adrien was surprised he hadn't seen her feelings before. After tonight Adrien knew that Marinette had feelings for him and with what he knew about her secret, Adrien could not keep his secret from her. It was time to tell her his secret.

"Well there is one more thing I have to do tonight." Adrien said.

"What?" Marinette asked looking up at him expectantly. Adrien felt a little bad because he knew what she wanted and she would have to wait a moment for that. Adrien was looking forward to that moment but he had to do this first.

"There's something I have to show you." Adrien said as he stepped back from Marinette.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he had disabled the security cameras before dinner to ensure this was not recorded so he knew he was good. Adrien could see a wary, confused and slightly disappointed look cross Marinette's pretty face at Adrien's actions as it was clear she had been expecting something else. However, it was time to reveal his secret to her.

"I love you Marinette." Adrien said as he extended his hands and saw Marinette's mouth fall open at his statement. "And there is nothing I want to keep from you, m'lady."

That caused Marinette to take a step back as she realized he know her secret. Now she would learn his though he had a feeling dropping one of Cat Noir's signature pet names for Ladybug would help.

"Plagg, claws out." Adrien said and his kwami was sucked into his ring as he transformed into Cat Noir.

* * *

Marinette was still speechless at what just happened. It had been a whirlwind 48 hours and she was not sure she could handle much more. First she injured herself because of her clumsiness, then she spent several hours talking to Adrien last night which was magical, then he asked her out and took her on the perfect first date, then he told her he loved her, revealed he knew she was Ladybug and that he was Cat Noir. The sensory overload was almost too much for her and Marinette was amazed she was still standing after all that had happened.

"H-how d-did you f-figure out that I, that I am L-Ladybug?" Marinette asked when she finally got her senses back under some semblance of control.

She needed to know before she could tell Adrien how she felt about him. Her feelings had only intensified tonight and now that she knew that Adrien was Cat Noir and had liked her for a long time, it just made her head hurt and her heart ache. It was amusing and infuriating that they had liked each other but not known until now but at least all of that was almost over.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said and he transformed back into his civilian form. "I figured it out by matching your injury to that I saw in Ladybug. I know you didn't want us to know each other's identities but I didn't exactly mean to find out."

"My injury?" Marinette asked as she lightly touched her tender left cheek. Clearly the identical nature of both had tipped Adrien off. "Merde, Tikki was right."

"I told you so." Tikki said flying out of her bag to gloat in a sing song voice before turning to fly over and hover in Adrien's. "Hi Adrien, I am Tikki, Marinette's kwami. You don't know me but thanks to Marinette I know you pretty well. Anyway, I told her that you would figure it out, well that Cat Noir would figure it out but I couldn't say why without revealing your identity to her. You both weren't supposed to know but Marinette in her clumsiness and stubbornness allowed for this to happen. You two will now have to be more careful going forward so as to keep your identities secret and not let Hawk Moth know that you know who the other is."

"Thanks Tikki." Marinette said blushing at Tikki's words and her kwami nodded before flying of to catch up with Adrien's kwami.

Adrien's catlike, black, kwami, Plagg if Marinette had heard correctly, was hovering over Adrien's shoulder watching the situation unfold with a bored gaze. When Tikki joined him the two kwamis flew over to the food where Plagg offered Tikki some Camembert, that explained why there was always a faint hint of it on Adrien despite Marinette never seeing him eating it. Tikki politely shook her head and went after a the chocolate cake they had eaten for dessert.

"So the phone call was to check that you were right about me being Ladybug?" Marinette asked Adrien as she pulled her gaze away from the kwamis and returned to asking Adrien the last few questions she had for him.

"Yes." Adrien confirmed. "I did it because, well I am in love with Ladybug and when I figured out that you were Ladybug I knew that I must love you and I wanted to make sure of that. Our conversation confirmed that to me. I also wanted to check up on you and make sure you were ok, that bruise does look pretty painful."

"Oh." Marinette said flooding with relief and pleasure at Adrien's. She had been waiting so long for this moment that she couldn't hold her feelings in anymore. "I love you too. I have ever since you gave me your umbrella and apologized to me for the gum incident. It started as a teenage crush but as I got to know you it deepened into true love if that makes any sense. Anyway, that's why I have always been a complete mess around you. It was out of fear you would reject me or realized my feelings and not knowing that you actually like me in some aspect."

"Yeah it makes my head hurt thinking of this love square we were in." Adrien said with a laugh that Marinette smiled at. "But I'm glad it is all in the open and now we can go forward, together."

"So what now?" Marinette asked looking at Adrien.

* * *

"Now." Adrien said with a smile as he walked to his lady and took her into his arms. "I get to do what I have wanted to do all night. Well what I have wanted to do for a long time really."

Without any more words Adrien cupped Marinette's uninjured cheek and lowered his head to hers. Marinette smiled as their lips finally met and they melted into each other's arms. Whatever the future had could wait as the young couple enjoyed their first, blissful, moment as a couple under the stars of a Parisian summer night.

 **As I said at the start I will use the matching injuries as a way of identifying Ladybug and Cat Noir in later oneshots but it will not be the central theme of the oneshot, only used due to the situation in the oneshot. As of right now I have not been given a prompt for next week so the current prepared oneshot is from my own self created prompt list. Currently I have 3 prompts I have created (1 written the other 2 outlined) that I will use if I do not get suggestions but I prefer to write prompts given to me. As usual any prompt suggestions will be considered, flushed out and then written and take priority to my own prompts. I will get to as many prompts that are suggested and workable as possible on a first come first serve basis. Anyway enough rambling, the next chapter will be up on time next week as always and keep the prompts coming in the reviews and PMs. All reviews will be listened to so keep letting me know what you think of this fun collection of my attempts at cute oneshots for Ladybug and Cat Noir. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	8. Parents

**Here is the 8th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested to me in a review following last week's oneshot by Kotykaye. I currently have another suggested prompt set for next week so keep the ideas coming. Just a few updates to note here: 1 - After some thought I have decided that this series of oneshots will continue in its weekly installments until the actual revelation occurs on the show, at which point I feel that this series will have become obsolete and as such will end. I will publish all remaining prompts, both suggested and self created (of which I currently have 5 planned), on a weekly basis and culminating in a special final prompt I have already mapped out to finish the story. Once the show has the revelation I will not take anymore suggestions so keep them coming in the meantime. 2 - Unless otherwise stated, all prompts use information known up to the latest episode, which is usually released a few hours after each upload, hence why 'Sick' was set out the way it was as Adrien had yet to meet Master Fu before the episode 'Siren' which came out hours after I uploaded that oneshot. Anyway enough author notes, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Parents.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.  
**

* * *

 **Parents** **\- In order to not worry their daughter, Marinette's parents set up security cameras after a failed break in. They expected to catch future attempts, the did not expect to capture their daughter's secret. Deciding to keep their new found knowledge from Marinette in order to protect her, her parents remove the camera. However when Nathalie lets slip Adrien's crush on Ladybug while buying pastries, Marinette's parents come up with a scheme to force the teens together at last. Little do they know that their plans might cause more than just feelings to be revealed.  
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* * *

 **Parents**

Marinette swung across Paris, heading home as fast as possible. Ladybug and Cat Noir had just defeated another akuma attack, yet another one that had been created by Chloe's actions but Marinette knew that Chloe would never change unless something drastic happened. It may be the summer vacation now but that still didn't stop Chloe from being, well, Chloe. Marinette's earrings suddenly beeped for the fourth time telling her that she had one minute left before her miraculous timed out. Marinette cursed, she knew it was going to be close.

As soon as Marinette saw her home she sped up and with one last swing she flipped and landed on her roof just in time. As she was flipping she had begun to transform and by the time she had landed the transformation was almost complete, just her top half left. In a second she was Marinette again and looking around praying that no one has seen her.

"Few that was close Tikki." Marinette said as she continued to look around and was pleased to notice that no one had been watching. "We just made it."

"Yeah." Tikki said as she floated slowly over to Marinette clearly exhausted. "I never doubted you Marinette."

"Thanks." Marinette said to her kwami with a small smile as she cupped the kwami in her hands. "Now come on lets get you in and get you a cookie, you deserve it."

Tikki just nodded happily at this. Marinette carefully held her tired kwami before putting her in her purse. Then she opened her trap door and descended into her bedroom. All this time Marinette had failed to noticed the newest addition to the roof that her parents had set up high on the wall so that it looked down upon the roof, a security camera. It had been set up after an attempted break in at the bakery a week ago while Marinette had been at school and her parents hadn't informed her about so as to not worry her. Now the flashing camera had caught Ladybug's landing and transformation back into their daughter on film.

* * *

The next morning, before Marinette had woken up, Tom Dupain and his wife Sabine Cheng were looking over the security footage from the day before on the computer in their office. The cameras, set up on the roof, and the sides of the building overlooking the side door, the service entrance, and the ally, were state of the art and had a notification function that alerted the bakers of when it detected movement. Each camera had that feature and right now Tom and Sabine were looking at the roof camera which had detected movement the day before at a specific time in the late afternoon. It had been when Marinette was at school working on a project so it worried her parents that someone had been up there during the day. They had no idea what to expect when they turned it on and what they saw was not what they could have thought of being within the realm of possibility.

The camera showed Ladybug flip into range and land gracefully on their roof. Then the young superhero stood up and Tom and Sabine watched in stunned amazement as Ladybug transformed into their own daughter, well the top half at least as the lower half had already transformed. That had not been what they expected when they had received the alert this morning about movement on the roof yesterday. Right after the transformation they watched as Marinette appeared to talk to thin air before cupping her hands around the spot of air she was talking to, putting it in her bag for some reason, and returning to her room. Once Marinette left the shot Sabine paused the video.

"What do we do Tom?" She asked her bear of a husband the shock clear in her voice. "Our daughter is Ladybug and she never told us."

"I know." Tom said recovering from his own shock. "It does explain a lot though."

"It does?"

"Yeah." Tom began as he elaborated. "She's missed classes more in the last year since Ladybug arrived then ever before, she's always around when an akuma attack has happened yet she is never seen near the akuma on the Ladyblog, and she has never been akumatized."

"True, it does make sense when you look at it that way." Sabine said nodding in understanding. "But I don't particularly like our only child swinging around the city and putting herself in danger all the time."

"Neither do I but she's been doing this for a year and clearly has it under control." Tom said with a smile. "Makes me proud of her that she is saving Paris and doing some good in the world. Besides, she is already so much like Ladybug; she's kind, considerate and always willing to help others or stand up to bullies. It fits that she is Ladybug."

"Same." Sabine said with a nod after considering her husband's words. "But it's still a risk and she never told us. She tells us everything or at least isn't subtle at hiding it when it comes to her crush on Adrien that she has never confirmed to us."

"Likely because it would have been too dangerous for her to tell anyone, even us, her secret identity." Tom pointed out. "In all the superhero comics I have read, many superheroes, especially the younger ones, don't want their identities known so as to protect the ones they love. With this villain she and Cat Noir constantly fight, Hawk Moth I believe his name is, she likely wants to remain secret from even Cat Noir. It is to protect us as much as herself."

"I see." Sabine said before elbowing her husband. "For once all those comics seem to have a use."

"I told you that one day they would come in handy." Tom said smiling at his wife. "But now what?"

"Now we protect our daughter as any parents should." Sabine said with a smile as she selected the security file on their computer that was the footage showing that their daughter was Ladybug and deleted it along any backups of the footage. "We keep this to us, make sure no one sees this footage, remove that camera when she is at school so as to not have the evidence again or let her know that it was there to begin with, be more understanding to her absences while maintaining our authority as parents, and make sure her identity never gets out. She can save Paris all she likes but that's not an excuse for constantly missing classes."

"I couldn't agree more." Tom said pulling his wife close. "Just one of the many reasons why I married you."

"I know." Sabine said with a smile at her husband. "But now we really should get a start on the day's fresh bread and pastries, Marinette will be up soon and we have to open in an hour."

Tom just nodded as he and his wife left the office they had in the back of the bakery where the computer that stored the security footage was kept and into the bakery. They would keep their daughters identity a secret but for now they did have a small, popular, business to run.

* * *

It was around lunchtime, just before the lunchtime rush, when the bell rang and Sabine looked up from behind the counter where she was working to see a stern, professional woman with short black hair dyed red at the ends walk in and up to the counter, a tablet under her arm. Sabine instantly recognized her as Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste's personal assistant. The only reason why she was here would be because Adrien was in the neighborhood, likely at a photo shoot in the nearby park. Sabine smiled at the woman and the smile was more than one of greeting. She knew of her daughter's huge crush on Adrien and decided that now would be a good time to get some info on him from likely the person who knew him best. She was a mother and cared for her daughter and thought that Adrien was a nice boy who would be a good fit for her daughter.

"Welcome to Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie and Patisserie, how may I help you mam." Sabine said politely as Nathalie approached the counter.

"Yes I would like to request a full pastry spread." Nathalie said as she glanced down at her tablet to check something. "The usual selection if you don't mind; pain au chocolates, croissants, pain au raisins, macaroons, spreads, cheeses, that sort of thing. I assume you have a special package for such requests. I know that this is last minute but our usual caterer just canceled on us and you are the nearest option."

"Of course." Sabine said with a smile. "We offer a full catering service, I will just let my husband know that you want the pastry package and he will get right on it, when do you need it by?"

"As soon as possible but there isn't too much of a rush." Nathalie said once again glancing at something on her tablet. "Adrien is currently in the middle of a shoot so they will be busy for a while but it will be good to have everything ready for when they take a break in about an hour or so."

"I understand, one moment." Sabine said to which Nathalie just nodded and Sabine left to inform her husband.

Tom was in the middle of making fresh macaroons so it was easy to start a fresh pastry package. Sabine returned to the front where Nathalie was waiting while perusing the tablet she held. It was clear that Nathalie wasn't going to leave until the pastries were ready, or pay until they were done, Sabine realized that she wouldn't have a better time to find out more about her daughter's crush than now.

"By Adrien, you don't happen to mean Adrien Agreste by any chance?" Sabine asked Nathalie causing the assistant to look up from her work.

"I do." Nathalie said with a slight narrowing of her eyes behind her glasses. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's just my daughter Marinette is in the same class as him." Sabine said with a smile.

"Ah that explains why Adrien recommended this place." Nathalie said before going back to her work.

"How is he?" Sabine asked. "Must be tough the life of a teenage model."

"Adrien has grown up with it so he's used to it." Nathalie said. "Structure and discipline helps."

"I see." Sabine said, she wasn't a fan of regimenting every aspect of her child's life but rather encouraging Marinette to pursue her own passions, but each parent had their own style. "He must have many admirers though, given his status as a model."

"We get the usual obsessed fans." Nathalie said. "It helps the marketing of Mr. Agreste's line but can get a bit much at times."

"Then Adrien must have a girlfriend." Sabine said as she began to probe a little deeper into Adrien's life.

"As far as I know he does not." Nathalie said. "He is too busy for one to begin with, though it might help the brand if he does start dating, especially if that person is important but that is not my call to make. Adrien has never seemed too interested in the over zealous girls, or guys though he isn't bi, who throw themselves at him."

"Surely he must have a crush though." Sabine said. "All teens have a crush."

"Of course he does though it is one I for one do not approve of." Nathalie said with a hint of displeasure marring her professional voice.

"Who?" Sabine asked keeping her voice neutral and conversational.

"Ladybug." Nathalie said shaking her head. "It's foolish but he seems to only have eyes for her."

Sabine smiled at that. With what she now knew about Marinette and Ladybug it meant that Marinette's feelings would be requited by Adrien if he knew the truth though she wouldn't tell anyone her daughter's secret. Now, though, she and her husband had to come up with a plan to push the two teens together so that they finally realized everything, be it Marinette's secret or her Ladybug qualities when she is out of the costume. The best scenario would be a situation where Adrien had a chance to discover Marinette's secret and Sabine was sure that she could create such a situation.

"Pastries are ready." Tom said as he popped his head out from the back to let the women know he was done and ending their conversation.

"Good." Nathalie said as she produced a black colored credit card from her suit pocket and handed it to Sabine. "Ring it up here and bring it to your service entrance, I will have a few of the hired hands from the shoot come pick them up so that you can return to your usual business. Thank you for your assistance, if the pastries are as good as Adrien claims then we may work again soon."

Sabine just nodded as she charged Nathalie for the pastries. The assistant then left and took out her phone to call for help while Tom brought the food to their service entrance. Once the day was over Sabine would talk with her husband about what to do with the info Nathalie had revealed to her today.

* * *

"You sure about this?" Tom asked his wife after they had closed up shop for the night and were in bed. Marinette was in her room so they knew that they wouldn't be overheard.

"I am." Sabine said looking at her husband. "The way his father's assistant talked about him there is no doubt in my mind that Adrien likes Ladybug the same way Marinette likes him."

"So that means that they like each other." Tom said with a thoughtful look on his face. "And they don't realize it."

"Nope, classic young love." Sabine said reminiscing. "Remember how clueless we were about each other."

"I don't think you will ever let me forget." Tom said with a smile. "So what do we do about this? We can't just tell Adrien about Marinette, it is her secret to tell but they are clearly meant for each other so how do we get them to realize it."

"We have to figure out a way to force them to interact more." Sabine said thoughtfully. "I remember when they were on that gaming team and how awkward Marinette was around him at times so I doubt they have spent much time alone together. We need to think of a way to both force them together, and make sure that it is a situation where Adrien might find out her secret on his own. I have a feeling that that might be the key to them getting together."

The couple thought for a few moments as they both tried to figure out ways to create the situation that Sabine had suggested. It wasn't easy but after about 5 minutes of thinking Tom realized that there might be a way.

"What if we suggest that Adrien work here for the summer." The large baker said. "It is the summer holidays so there is no school. That way they will be close and given that it is here where they will be working plenty of opportunities for Adrien to accidentally find out about what Marinette is keeping secret from the world."

"That's genius." Sabine said with a smile at her husband. "But how will we persuade his father to allow it. It isn't like Adrien has much free time if what Nathalie said earlier was any indication and I have a feeling his father heavily structures Adrien's life and activities."

"True." Tom said thoughtfully. "We will have to call tomorrow and try and work out a deal. remember Marinette is a gifted fashion designer, we might be able to use that to sway Adrien's father somehow."

"Sounds good." Sabine said with yawn. "But it has been a long day and we have to be up early as usual so goodnight."

"Goodnight dear." Tom said giving his wife a kiss before he turned off the lights and they fell asleep. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

"This doesn't seem like a good idea." Nathalie's voice said at the other end of the phone. "Mr. Agreste is not an easy man to persuade and I highly doubt he would want his son working in a bakery."

"Surely he would want his son to learn something different from what he already knows." Sabine said into the receiver. It was the next morning and she had called Nathalie to try and sort out her plan but it was taking longer to persuade the assistant to even take it to Gabriel Agreste let alone try and persuade the man himself.

"It is an idea that is not without its merits but Adrien already has a job and a very busy schedule." Nathalie said with a sigh. "I shall try to persuade him, it might be a good chance for some PR work. You know humanize Adrien and perhaps see if a more working class range of clothes could be made but that is about it."

"Well there is one other thing." Sabine said as she decided to play her trump card. "My daughter Marinette is an amateur fashion designer, she did win that hat contest last year if you remember it. Perhaps she could do a project for Mr. Agreste in exchange."

"I remember that hat." Nathalie said thoughtfully on the other end of the line. "It was pretty good. Very well I shall see if Mr. Agreste would be accommodating to letting Adrien learn baking at nights but Marinette will likely have to make a unique outfit for Adrien to model at Mr. Agreste's next show. Something in line with Mr. Agreste's style but new and aimed at the younger generation at the same time. Though no pigeon feathers this time, Adrien is allergic to them."

"I think Marinette will be able to do that." Sabine said with a grateful sigh.

"Very well I shall inquire with Mr. Agreste and get back to you in a few days, he is a busy man after all." Nathalie said and hung up before Sabine could respond.

* * *

All Sabine and her husband could do was wait for the call. It took a few days but Nathalie did get back to her with an answer. Gabriel Agreste was willing to make the deal in exchange for a few requests.

First there was the outfit that Marinette had to make by the time his fall show in Milan began, so about 2 months away. Marinette and her family had to pay for materials but should the outfit be approved they would be reimbursed and Marinette would receive 10% of all sales of the outfit should it be offered to the public. It was a good deal as the Agreste line often sold well so it was a good way to save for Marinette's future. In addition Marinette was allowed to sign the piece with her fashion signature.

Second the Dupain-Cheng's had to agree to become the pastry providers for any shoots or events that Gabriel Agreste had in Paris and offer them a discount. This was an easy deal for them to make as catering these events could lead to more offers and a higher class of clientele for custom projects. All this could lead to more revenue and an increased reputation for their bakery.

Lastly Adrien's bodyguard had to always be present and outside while Adrien was working. It was an easy deal for them to make, now they had to persuade Marinette to accept it. That shouldn't be hard as it gave her a chance to break into the fashion scene and spend time with Adrien. Sabine decided to go straight to Marinette's room to persuade her of the opportunity that they had created for her.

* * *

"Marinette dear can I come in?" her mother called through the trapdoor that was the entrance to Marinette's room as she knocked on it.

"Of course mama." Marinette called back towards the trapdoor.

Marinette had just been working on her sketchbook with Tikki. Seeing as it was summer break she could get more work done in it than she normally could during the school year. All she had to do was summer reading for class next year, help in the bakery, and protect Paris from akumas, the rest of the time she was free to work on her designs and drool over Adrien. Overall life was more relaxing than usual as school usually made everything more stressful. Making sure Tikki was hidden Marinette turned in her chair as her mother opened the trapdoor to her room and popped her head up to look at her daughter.

"Marinette, we have something to tell you." Sabine said a little unsure how to tell Marinette this but decided on something that was not the full truth but almost it, she couldn't tell her daughter the full truth as to why they had made this deal with the Agrestes.

"What?" Marinette asked, her curiosity peaked at her mother's statement.

"Well a few days ago Mr. Agreste's assistant came in to buy some pastries for a photo shoot Adrien was involved with." Sabine said. Marinette nodded knowing full well that Adrien had been in the nearby park on a photo shoot, she had been watching it with a pair of binoculars from her window while trying to avoid drooling. "And when I mentioned that you went to school with Adrien she remembered you."

"She did?" Marinette asked, she had barely had any contact with the woman who basically ran Adrien's life but she guessed that someone as professional as her would have a great memory, or at least know all the kids who went to Adrien's school.

"Yes from that hat design contest." Sabine said. "Well we got to talking while we waited for your father to make her order and came to a deal of sorts, one that benefits all of us, pending Mr. Agreste's approval. He just gave it today so that's what I have come to talk to you about."

"A deal?" Now Marinette was really confused, where was her mother going with this.

"Yes." Her mother confirmed. "They were impressed with our pastries and wanted us to cater for them in the future. In exchange for this we agreed but there a few conditions. First Adrien will be working for us at night this summer, starting next week, a way to learn a new skill and try to humanize him to his fans when it gets out. You will of course be teaching him as your father and I are going to be too busy. In addition, Mr. Agreste liked your hat so much, and knows of the work you did for Jagged Stone, that he wants you to design an outfit for Adrien to model at the Agreste Fall Fashion show in Milan in 2 months. It has to be in keeping with the Agreste style and not have feathers though you can sign it with your signature so that the precise designer is known. You will also receive 10% of the sales of the outfit when it hits stores. Is this all ok dear?"

"Er..." Was all Marinette could get out as the shock of everything her mother had told her hit her before managing to add. "Sure, I, I can do that."

"Great dear I will let Nathalie know." her mother said before leaving and closing the trap door behind her.

Marinette just sat there staring open mouthed into the space her mother had vacated. Adrien would be working here, with her for the summer. She would be able to spend time with him at last and hopefully the work would allow her to be more confident and less clumsy around him but she doubted that. Then there was the design offer. Marinette wanted to get into the fashion world, though she would never have dreamed of exploiting Adrien for that chance. However this was a huge chance to break in as an Agreste designer, earn money, and show off her talent. What's more, she hadn't exploited Adrien for the opportunity though she had no idea why her parents had set this but she wasn't going to complain, only thank them for eternity of this worked out for her. It was an opportunity that she couldn't pass up, or fuck up for that matter.

"Well Marinette looks like you have a project to work on." Tikki said as she flew over, gently closed Marinette's gaping mouth, and bringing her crashing back to reality.

"Y-yeah I do don't I." Marinette said as she opened a draw and pulled out a small design book that she kept hidden there.

"What's that?" Tikki asked staring at the unfamiliar book.

"A special design book I keep separate from my others." Marinette said with a slight blush as she began to flip through the designs in it, they were all of male clothes. "It contains designs I have made exclusively for Adrien. You know stuff I think will look good on him, fit his style, show off his amazing looks, those sorta designs. I keep it secret cos it is a little embarrassing and I am not particularly good at designing clothes for guys. However I have about 30 so far, therefore it's time to start making them and seeing what looks good and what doesn't. If I can be more confident around Adrien this summer then perhaps he can help pick a good one out that he likes, he will look best in something he likes."

"Well then what are we waiting for." Tikki said as she flew over to where Marinette kept her fashion equipment. "We have a lot work to do."

* * *

It had been a week since Adrien had started working at the bakery and Adrien was having a great time. A week ago when Nathalie had said that he would be working nights in the Dupain-Cheng's bakery he had been surprised. He hadn't expected his father to agree to it as it was outside of the house and not something someone of his station would be expected to do.

However, when Adrien had heard of the deal that his father had made with Marinette's parents he wasn't surprised in the least that he was working here because of a deal his father had made. It was just the kind of thing his father would do. It was a chance to do a little PR work for the Agreste brand, get what could be a high selling design for cheap with no work on his father's part, and make a business connection with a reliable and reputable bakery.

While Adrien could understand his father's reasoning for doing this, Adrien didn't like how his father conducted business but that was how the industry worked. Adrien was just happy to be spending more time with a friend than he expected this summer, around the usual schedule he had to keep in the summer of photo shoots, piano lessons, tutoring for next year, Chinese lessons, fencing and of course protecting Paris from so far two Chloe created akumas. The summer job made him feel like a normal teen doing a normal job over the summer rather than the sheltered model son of a wealth fashion mogul. It also gave him a chance to get to know Marinette more, he liked her but the few times they had spent together she had been a stuttering, clumsy, blushing, mess for reasons that Adrien couldn't understand. As with the time they had been on a gaming team together or when she had helped him dodge his bodyguard, the longer he spent with Marinette the more comfortable around him she got.

This comfort translated into Adrien seeing more of Marinette's personality than he had seen before and what he saw both surprised and confused him. She was the kindest, nicest, person he knew and always put others before herself even if doing so usually lead to some clumsy disaster of her own creation. It was amusing and fun to work with her at night in the bakery.

It had been awkward at first as Marinette was a little flustered around him and kept causing minor disasters but after a few days it was normal, though she had been confused when he had refused to remove his ring and wouldn't explain why. He couldn't tell her that it was a miraculous and removing it meant losing his kwami Plagg who was always with him and the reason why he smelt faintly of cheese.

What really helped break the awkwardness was when Adrien pointed out that in addition to this Marinette was supposed to be making him an outfit for the upcoming fashion show in Milan so he could help her with it . While he would trust her design abilities, he had none himself despite being the son of a fashion designer, he could help with suggestions and what would look good on him. She was really gifted at designing and he knew that whatever she made would look great and be very successful, so long as there were no feathers this time. He had even offered to let her personally measure him and to do a private show for her once she was done with a few designs so that they could decide what was best. This had caused Marinette to blush a shade of red that Adrien had never seen before or thought a human could achieve and stutter out an affirmative after 10 minutes of trying much to his amusement. Yes things were getting interesting around Marinette and that confused him.

What confused him was twofold. First was that the more he spent with her the more aspects of Ladybug he saw in her. This confused him as he knew that Marinette was a fan of the masked heroine but at the same time he had never associated her with Marinette before now. That lead to the second confusing thing. He was developing feelings for Marinette and he didn't know why.

It had started when she had become more confident around him and when he had began to see elements of Ladybug in her. It was these elements that he saw in Marinette that confused him. He was starting to see her in the same light as Ladybug and he didn't know what to do. He loved Ladybug and it felt dishonest to her to develop feelings for another girl but he couldn't help it. Adrien had tried to talk to Plagg about it but his kwami had been worse than useless in the love department as the little kwami constantly compared everything to cheese and bemoaned the complex emotions of human teenagers. It was while pondering this at the end of his first week of work and while Adrien was closing up the bakery, turning everything off and locking up, that he heard it. What he heard was a strange rustling sound coming from the cookie tin that he had set to one side to hold the leftover cookies of the day that he would give to a homeless shelter on his way home, after a patrol with Ladybug scheduled for tonight that is.

Curious at the noise and for some reason hoping it was a mouse, likely the effects of the Black Cat Miraculous bleeding into him on both fronts, Adrien slowly and as quietly as a cat made his way over to the rattling tin. Adrien strained his hearing and could made out the sounds of munching from inside the tin. In one swift move Adrien grabbed the tin and yanked the lid off it. What he saw inside made him drop the tin in utter shock and scattering the cookies and the little red creature that had been happily munching on the cookies across the bakery floor.

The creature was a small red thing about 10 centimeters tall with a set of bug antenna on its head, wide blue eyes, stubby limbs, a black spot in its forehead and one on each cheek. As soon as it had recovered it had floated up into the air to hover in front of Adrien at eye level. What had shocked Adrien the most and had caused him to drop the tin, however, was that the creature was clearly a kwami and if Plagg's appearance was an indicator of what miraculous he represented, same with Wayzz's appearance, then there was no question who's kwami this was. It was Ladybug's. As that sank in a second realization sunk in for Adrien. If this was Ladybug's kwami then that meant that Marinette had to be Ladybug.

"Merde!" The kwami exclaimed in a high pitched, feminine voice that cut off Adrien's thoughts.

"Hey Tikki are you in here again gorging on leftover cookies, we have a patrol to get ready for." Marinette called as she walked in not paying attention to the scene at first. At least this confirmed Adrien's suspicion that Marinette was indeed Ladybug. "I told you not to pig ou…."

Adrien watched with a nervous smile as Marinette saw the cookies on the floor and looked up to see Adrien standing there with her kwami in between them. Her mouth fell open in shock and her eyes widening in fear at what she was seeing. There was now no doubt in Adrien's mind that Marinette was Ladybug. At least this explained his conflicting feelings for two girls and the fact that he kept seeing more and more of his lady in Marinette. They were one and the same. That was at least one dilemma solved, now though he had to solve this fresh dilemma in front of him.

"A-A-Adrien w-what a-are y-you st-still do-doing h-here?" Marinette managed to stutter out to him as she looked in horror between her kwami and Adrien. It was clear that she knew she was busted but Adrien decided to see how she would defend herself.

"I was just cleaning up and locking up before I took the leftovers over to a homeless shelter as I do every night." Adrien said with a calm smile that belied the raging emotional turmoil he had going on beneath the surface at finding out that Marinette was the girl he had been in love with for over a year. "Then I heard something in the cookie tin and investigated it to find, er whatever this floating creature is."

"She's, she's a-a rare flying cat from, from, the kingdom of Achu." Marinette hurried out as she began to gush words instead of stumbling over them. "I won her in a contest a year ago. Yes that's it I…."

"Relax Marinette, I know that she's a kwami and not a cat." Adrien said with a genuine smile and holding up his hand to silence Marinette's panicked babbling. While it was cute he couldn't let her continue trying to dig her way out of this, he had to move the situation on. "So that begs the question; why do you have a kwami?"

"I, I, I." Marinette began stuttering out, taken aback by Adrien's interruption as fear crossed her face at what Adrien must have deduced regarding her kwami. Then Adrien noticed recognition at his words cross her eyes and realized that he had just given himself away right before Marinette added in a more accusative tone, her eyes narrowing. "Wait, how do you know about kwamis. Only five people in Paris know about them and that is because they are either permanent, or in the case of Rena Rouge, temporary miraculous holders."

"Well that confirms my suspicions, Ladybug." Adrien said using Marinette's superhero identity though by this point Marinette had realized that she was busted and had not reacted to his confirmation. He may have accidentally found out her identity when she didn't want it to be revealed, the least he could do was reveal his at the same time so as to put all their cards on the same table. "Plagg, I think you can come out now buddy, looks like this is all in the open now."

"Bout time I didn't have a good view to the unfolding drama and was getting jealous of Tikki being in the middle of it." Plagg said as he flew out of Adrien's jacket munching a wedge of Camembert, mischief in his green eyes. Marinette stared at the black catlike kwami that had materialized out of Adrien's jacket in shocked bewilderment for a second before dawning understanding crossed her face.

"Marinette meet my kwami, Plagg." Adrien said gesturing to Plagg who gave an enthusiastic and over the top bow and promptly dropped his cheese, forcing the kwami to fly down and catch it before it hit the floor. "He's the reason why I know what a kwami is."

"Th-that means that you're Cat Noir." Marinette said as it all sunk in what she was seeing.

"At your service, bugaboo." Adrien said with a bow of his own though much less dramatic than Plagg's. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the secret identity of my lady."

"So that means that all this time the boy I have been in love with for over a year has been shamelessly flirting with me and actually likes me ." Marinette said her eyes going wide again as more realizations hit her. The same was for Adrien when he realized what Marinette had said.

"You like me?" Adrien asked having recovered from Marinette's sudden declaration of love for him. "As in like like me."

"Well I think it would be more accurate to say that I love you, which I am pretty sure I just said." Marinette confessed as she looked down in shame for some reason, not meeting Adrien's gaze. "And now that I know that you are Cat Noir well that just adds more confusion to all this."

"How is it confusing?" Adrien asked as he took a hesitant step towards Marinette. "I love you and you love me, we both freely admit that, how does that make it any more confusing. So what if I fell in love with Ladybug and didn't that it was you under the mask while you fell in love with me not knowing that I am Cat Noir. It may be a confusing love square that is making my head hurt but now that it is all in the open it doesn't matter. We know the truth, all the truths and I for one am glad that it is all out in the open."

"You, you love me?" Marinette said clearly still a little confused as she looked up to meet Adrien's gaze, tears swimming in her eyes. "But I am just a plain, clumsy, nerdy, boring, weird girl. I'm so different to who I am when I am Ladybug."

"We are the sum of all our parts." Adrien said as he continued to walk slowly towards Marinette. "We are the same whether or not we have the masks on. Marinette, Master Fu would not have selected us to be Ladybug and Cat Noir had he not seen that we were them under the masks. Over the last week I have been developing feelings for you as I saw more of Ladybug in you without knowing it but now I realize the truth. I love you Marinette, just as much as I love Ladybug, you are one and the same. Don't over think this m'lady."

"Ok." Marinette said weakly as Adrien reached her. "I won't, at least not until later."

As soon as Adrien reached her he pulled her into his arms and Marinette just melted into him as she rested her head on his chest. It was just like that the dance they had shared at Chloe's party but somehow even better than then, at last he was with his lady and she loved him back.

"So what do we do now?" Marinette asked as she looked up into Adrien's face and he lost himself for a moment in her bluebell eyes.

"Now." Adrien said coming back to his senses and cupping Marinette's cheek with his right hand. "I can finally do what I have been wanting to do ever since I met Ladybug. I am willing to bet that you have been wanting this just as much as I have and for just as long, though since you met Adrien and not Cat Noir."

With that Adrien smiled down at Marinette, a smile she happily returned, as he lowered his head to hers, his lips closing in on hers, finally his lady was his.

 **I couldn't resist leaving this oneshot on this tantalizing ending. The prompt for next week has been suggested and I will be working on it during the week. The only thing I will note for next week's oneshot is that it is my first attempt at creating a fully developed akuma, something I have been hesitant to do as I feel like I am not creative enough to do it justice but the prompt requires it so bear with me on it. Anyway, keep the prompts coming, I enjoy writing the ones suggested to me the most, and I promise I will get to all workable suggestions for identity reveals in time. That's all for this oneshot, the next one will be released on time as always. Keep the suggestions coming in reviews and PMs, all reviews are appreciated and listened too. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	9. Memory

**Here is the 9th and so far the longest oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series, though one of my unique self planned prompts will likely be longer due to complexity. This was another great prompt suggested by a few weeks back. Next week's prompt has been suggested so keep them coming, they will be written. This is the first prompt which references another series though doesn't go full crossover, just acknowledges it exists. In addition, there is a reference to one of my own fanfics from several years back, the characters from which will occasionally show up in these oneshots as well as in the Miraculous crossover I'm working on called 'A Magical Summer in New York' that should be coming out in a month or so. Lastly this is my first attempt at creating an akuma so bear with me on it. Rambling over, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Memory.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Memory** **\- While fighting Hawk Moth's latest akuma, a woman with ability to wipe one's memories through the use of an ancient power, Adrien sacrifices his memories to save those of his lady but allows the akuma to escape in the process. In order to help Adrien, Marinette is forced to find out who Cat Noir is and see what, if any, of his memory still exists. Many revelations, more than just identities, ensue, while Plagg tries to have some fun and no one notices Adrien pocket something from Marinette's room. How badly could all this go once all the secrets are out?  
**

* * *

 **Memory**

Marinette landed in the square and surveyed Hawk Moth's latest akumatized villain to try and terrorize Paris while also trying to get her miraculous. The square was just off the Seine river, near the Pont des Arts bridge and judging by the ramblings she had heard on the Ladyblog en route the woman had just been dumped or rejected on that bridge, an easy target for Hawk Moth's akumas. A moment later Cat Noir joined her and she was able to study the sinister looking villain that Hawk Moth had created for them.

The woman wore a sleek black robe with a hood up that hugged her body tightly, showing off lithe curves and a very athletic physique. The robe itself was ink black and seemed to suck all light into it, the same for the face of the hood. Instead of a face all Marinette saw was a dark void where a head should be that seem to go on into oblivion, it was a terrifying sight that sent a shiver down her spine when Marinette saw it. The robe and her body seemed to constantly be rippling as if it was a raging river made out of tight cloth, it confused Marinette to look at but she just shook her head and focused on the akuma and weapon the woman held. In akuma's right hand was an oversized, red flower with a black center that was dripping inky water. Jet black water stained the square and those who had been touched by it looked around confused as if they had no idea who they were or why they were there.

"Well she looks dark." Cat Noir said as he twirled his staff. "And I thought I was the only cat who was allowed to look good in black. She is totally cramping my style."

"I am Lethe." A female voice came from within the void that was her face, she sounded angry as most akumatized villains did but there was a note of pain in her voice from her rejection. "I am the goddess of forgetfulness, all will soon forget their lives just as I have been by my love. If he doesn't want my memory then no one shall have theirs. One touch of my waters and you will forget your life as you know it." Then she noticed Ladybug and Cat Noir, or at least Marinette thought she was looking at them it was hard to tell with no face in the hood. "Good, Ladybug and Cat Noir have joined the party. You will fall to my power, I will make you forget who you are and claim your miraculouses for Hawk Moth."

"Well that doesn't really explain who she is." Marinette whispered to her partner as she began to spin her yo-yo faster and jumping out of the way of a jet of water that Lethe had sent at her from the center of the flower.

"Au contraire ma petite amie." Cat Noir said with a cheeky wink that caused Marinette to roll her eyes as always when Cat tried to flirt with her. "I am certain that Lethe is named after the the river Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and oblivion. It is one of the 5 rivers of the underground along with the Styx, Cocytus, Acheron and Phlegethon if memory serves, it has been a while since I studied them. In Greek mythology the spirits of the dead would drink from the Lethe to forget their past lives and be reincarnated, a fitting name if that is her ability."

"So what is the point of the flower?" Marinette asked her apparently informative partner and managing to hold off a blast of water with her spinning yo-yo shield.

"If I had to hazard a guess based on her name and abilities it is an opium poppy." Cat Noir said thoughtfully rubbing his chin as he extended his staff to avoid a blast of water sent at him. "A symbol of forgetfulness in some cultures. I'm betting that whoever broke up with her gave it to her as a sign of his or hers decision to forget her. That is likely where the akuma is, can't really see anywhere else it might be."

"You must be useful on trivia night." Marinette said as she threw her yo-yo at Lethe but the athletic akuma easily dodged it.

"I do ok m'lady." Cat Noir said as landed and swung is staff at Lethe's legs only for her to leap over it. "We should team up at a trivia night I know of next week."

"Ok ignoring why she has an opium poppy that may or may not be illegal here, how do we defeat her?" Marinette said ignoring Cat's flirting and focusing on the task at hand.

"Tie her up and I will destroy it with my cataclysm." Cat Nor said simply with his usual cocky grin. "These akumas always fall one way or another."

"Simple and straightforward, let's try it." Marinette said with a nod at her partner as she sent her yo-yo at Lethe.

The teen heroes focused on the fight at hand rather than talking as Lethe began sending water at them at a high rate and coming close to flooding the square. It took a few minutes of extremely acrobatic dodging but eventually Marinette managed to ensnare the slender akuma with her yo-yo and hold her tight.

"Now kitty." She called at her partner.

"Cataclysm." She heard Cat yell.

"You will not stop me." Lethe yelled and shifted her body violently.

Marinette had not been expecting the move, or the woman's strength, and was yanked off her feet as if a powerful current had taken hold of her. Perhaps there was something about the connection to the river Lethe but Marinette didn't have the time to contemplate that as she was hurled at a puddle of water. Marinette was forced to recall her yo-yo and us it to swing herself up and over the water, she didn't know if the water would remove your memories if you touched it or if it could only do that on a direct hit and Marinette was not going to test that theory unless absolutely desperate. Fortunately her desperate throw worked, until the nearest building filled her view and Marinette face planted hard into a stone wall, lost to it, and fell down to land painfully on her back on the ground. The air was driven immediately from her lungs and Marinette just lay there for a moment as she stared up at the sky, dazed by the impacts.

"Ha missed with your pathetic cataclysm." Marinette heard Lethe shout scornfully at Cat Noir.

Marinette groggily got to her feet, trying to suck in air after the winding, and looked to see that the move Lethe had used had allowed her to not only free herself from Marinette's yo-yo but dodge Cat Noir's outstretched hand and force it to make contact with a wall. The result was a large hole in the wall. Marinette was still dazed from the wall and barely registered as Lethe turned her gaze, at least Marinette thought it was her gaze, on her.

"Say goodbye to your memory Ladybug." Lethe said gleefully as she leveled her poppy on Marinette. "Your miraculous is mine bitch."

Marinette just stared, her eyes as wide as a deer's in headlights, as the inky black water that was Lethe's power bubbled out of the center of the poppy and shot at her like a fire hose. Marinette knew that she was in no state to dodge the attack and just braced for impact, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad as she feared it would be.

"Ladybug no!"

Marinette heard her partner yell but didn't register it until she felt his claws push her out of the way. She was thrown sideways and rolled across the courtyard, fortunately not touching any of the water. Her still fuzzy mind heard a splashing sound followed by a thud and then a very catlike hissing sound.

"Have fun dealing with that Ladybug." Marinette heard Lethe yell at her. "I will be back to finish what I started but I think you should have some fun with my gift to you. Enjoy."

Looking around and getting up from the ground once again Marinette stared in horror as she realized what had happened. Cat Noir was on his side on all fours at the foot of the building she had face planted. He was hissing like an angry, wet, cat, and was soaked through with the black water. He had once again sacrificed himself for her and taken the akuma attack that had been meant for her. Once again Marinette felt the guilt of her partner's sacrifice but she had to push that away for now.

Marinette looked around frantically, the fog that the impact had caused suddenly gone, as she looked for Lethe. She saw that the akuma had used the attack to flee and leave her with Cat Noir. Marinette just managed to spot Lethe right as the black robed figured jumped into the Seine. Why she hadn't attacked Marinette didn't know but now she had a bigger problem. Cat Noir had stopped hissing and was sitting up staring blankly around the scene of the ruined square.

Marinette felt like she had been gut punched, in addition to the pain from the losing battle of her face verses an unyielding stone wall, that was definitely going to leave a bruise. Not only had they failed to stop the akuma and let her get away, but now Cat Noir seemed to have no memory. Then she heard a sound that caused her heart to stop and make the whole situation infinitely worse. It was the telltale beeping of Cat Noir's miraculous signaling that he had at most 5 minutes left before he transformed back into his civilian form.

Marinette had no idea what to do but she knew that she had to do something so she did the first thing that came to her mind. She ran at Cat and grabbed him, praying that the water was only effective if it was a direct hit, before launching her yo-yo at the nearest building to swing away and head home. Cat Noir didn't say a word as she grabbed him nor as she swung as fast as possible through the streets of Paris.

There was no way around it, she had to get him to safety and that meant violating his trust and finding out who he was and trying to restore his memory, or at least see the extent of the damage. It was better than only she found out who he was then for all of Paris to see Cat Noir transform back into a civilian in the middle of the city. Hopefully when they defeated Lethe and she restored Paris to normal Cat Noir would have no memory from the period he lost his memory. That was what usually happened when she healed him after he had been effected by past akumas like Dark Cupid, Despair Bear, and Princess Fragrance. She hated to do this but it was the only thing she could think to do.

She managed to get him back to the roof of her family's bakery just as Cat's ring beeped for the 5th time, signalling that only one minute remained before it ran out of power. Hurrying him in through the trap door she pushed him into her room. Cat was clearly still dazed from the attack as he stumbled through the trap door, missed the ladder, bounced off her lofted bed and landed lightly on all fours on the floor. Apparently Cat Noir did sometimes land on his feet.

Marinette quickly followed him in, closed the trapdoor and made sure the one in her floor was locked so that she wouldn't be disturbed while trying to sort this shit out. Then she turned to see that Cat Noir was standing on his feet still staring blankly at her. Just then his ring beeped one last time and he began to transform back to civilian form.

Marinette did not know what to expect when Cat Noir's transformation fell away but whoever she had expected him to be, she had not expected who was now standing in front of her. Her mouth fell open as it all sank in who Cat Noir was in real life. She was so shocked that she did not notice the small black shape that flew from him as his transformation back to civilian form ended, nor did she heard the sound of a kwami slamming face first into her wall at high speed with a sickening thud.

"A-Adrien?"

"Who's Adrien?" Adrien asked speaking for the first time since he had been hit by Lethe's water. "Where am I? Ladybug? Is that you?"

"You're Adrien." Marinette said the worry clear in her voice. "Don't you remember anything."

Adrien scrunched up his face in a look of concentration, clearly trying to remember. Marinette would have blushed a little at how cute he looked when he was thinking but she was too concerned with the effects of the akumatized villain's attack to think of anything else other than to help Adrien. That and the fact that she was feeling terribly guilty about being the reason why he had lost his memory. He had sacrificed himself for her yet again to prevent her suffering the same fate, and to top it off how had she repaid him? By taking him home and finding out his secret identity without his consent that's how. She felt really bad right now but pushed it down so that she could help her crush. She was so concerned that it took a moment for Marinette to realize that her crush had feelings for her because she knew that Cat Noir liked Ladybug and Cat Noir was Adrien, however that was not the most pressing concern for Marinette at the moment.

"I know that I am Cat Noir." Adrien said after a moment of thought breaking Marinette from her thoughts. She looked over to see Adrien glancing down at the silver ring he always wore, the ring that Marinette had always noticed but hadn't realized was his miraculous until now, a dumb oversight she realized as it was painfully obvious now that she noticed it.

"I know my kwami is Plagg, I remember how to fight as Cat Noir, and that this ring is the miraculous." Adrien continued. "I know that you, whoever you are under the mask, are Ladybug, my partner in protecting Paris but that is it. I have no idea who my civilian identity is, what I do when I am not Cat Noir, anything. This is odd cos I know part of who I am but only part. Its really frustrating."

"How is that possible?" Marinette asked relieved that Adrien had at least part of his memory, this wasn't going to be as bad as she feared. "I was worried that you would forget everything."

"Mmm camm explmm it." A mumbled voice said from her wall. "Firmst chmeeme thmmm."

Marinette turned to the sound and saw a small, jet black, kwami plastered spreadeagled against her wall and apparently stuck there. It must be Adrien's kwami Plagg. It must have gotten stuck against the wall after it was forcefully transformed back when the ring ran out of power. Marinette walked over to the wall and gently pried the creature off the wall, she would have to figure out what to do with the kwami shaped impression in her wall later, and turned the dazed kwami over in her hands. It looked like a black cat crossed with a kwami which made sense given that Adrien held the Black Cat Miraculous. Its green eyes eventually focused and saw that Marinette was holding it. Shaking its head it floated up.

"Well this isn't good." The kwami said in a distinctly male voice with the classic weariness of a drained kwami. "I take it you know who my human is then. Also has anyone ever told you that this room is way to pink."

"Yes on both fronts." Marinette said to the kwami. "Though I admit that I am surprised at who Cat Noir is, pleased but still surprised. I didn't expect him to be Adrien."

"Thought you would like who is was under the mask." The kwami replied with a smile as he floated out of her hands. "Name's Plagg by the way. I will explain why Adrien seems to have a small part of his memory and not all of it but first I need to recharge. My preference is a nice, fine, gooey, piece of Camembert if you have any. Then we need to figure out what to do."

"Er I don't particularly like Camembert, though that does explain why Adrien always has a faint scent of it on him, not that I go around sniffing Adrien that is." Marinette said hurriedly before continuing to save herself more embarrassment. "But I do have a few cookies." Marinette said walking over to a tin she kept for Tikki and taking out a cookie to hand to Plagg. "They are Tikki's favorite."

"Usually I would protest but seeing as my human just got blasted by a jet of water from the damn Lethe river, then got his identity revealed to his partner and crush, who happens to like him back, and to top it off I ended up slamming my gorgeous face, face first into an illegally pink wall I will take what I can get." Plagg said in a bit of a huff as he ate it in one large bite. "Feel free to transform back to yourself, Marinette, he won't remember shit when we defeat Lethe just as he never remembers what happened when he has been affected by an akuma's attack. Next time I see Nooroo I'm going to show him why cats and moths do not get along, what the fuck was he thinking of granting someone the power of a damn Greek Goddess. Thank all the many gods and goddesses that Nooroo can't grant the full powers of them, only the water shot directly from that damn poppy had the effects of the Lethe, once it touched something the power would have dissipated. That is if I remember Nooroo's limits correctly."

"Er ok I think there is a lot that has to be explained." Marinette said, she had no idea what Plagg was rambling about other than the stuff about Hawk Moth's kwami Nooroo, but he seemed a little riled up about it. "Tikki, spots off."

Marinette transformed back to herself as Tikki appeared. Her kwami instantly went for a cookie and began munching on it before she returned and surveyed the room as she floated over to hover next to a recharged Plagg.

"Ok Plagg first explain why Adrien." Marinette said gesturing to the model who was currently staring bemusedly at himself in a mirror on her wall. "Can't remember more than his superhero name and abilities. Then explain what you meant by Greek goddesses and the Lethe river, they are just myths. I already know that Nooroo is Hawk Moth's kwami so no need to explain him to me."

"Damn it Plagg you weren't supposed to tell her about that." Tikki scolded the other kwami who just gave her an indignant look.

"When was the last time you got blasted by one of the 5 underworld rivers." Plagg said grumpily. "Or anything else from the mythological world. Cos I have experienced all but the Styx and that's only cos Nooroo has enough sense to never tap into her power, even I can't stand her level of destruction and I am the physical embodiment of destruction."

"500 years ago, remember we had to deal with that superhero Nooroo created who could harness the power of the Phlegethon and it corrupted him." Tikki said just as indignantly. "That wasn't a fun experience."

"The river of fire is never a fun experience." Plagg said nodding in agreement.

"Ok I'm getting as confused as Adrien guys." Marinette said interrupting the kwamis' conversation. "Can we get back on track. Why can Adrien remember some things but not others? Shouldn't he have no memories whatsoever?"

"Anyone else would have lost all their memories." Plagg agreed. "That water was directly from the Lethe, only the Lethe has water that black. Under normal circumstances it will wipe your memory clean, it's so powerful that even a Titan is not immune to it but that's a funny story for another time. Anyway, it did wipe all of his civilian memories, however, because of the miraculous and being transformed into Cat Noir at the same time my magic shielded part of his memory. All I could do was protect his memories of me, the fact that he is Cat Noir, the miraculouses, and Ladybug. Anything tied to his personality is gone until we beat that bitch and purify the akuma."

"Yup until you defeat Lethe with your Lucky Charm, purify the butterfly and set everything right Adrien will have no memory of who he is." Tikki said happily. "Because the water was tied to an akuma and kwami magic I can heal all those effected by Lethe's poppy. He won't remember this just like he had no idea about the kiss during the Dark Cupid incident or anything after he breathed in Princess Fragrance's perfume. Now we just need to come up with a plan to set all this right."

"Am I your boyfriend?" Adrien suddenly asked startling Marinette and the 2 kwamis.

Marinette looked over to where Adrien was and blanched. They had forgotten about him during their conversation and he was now inspecting Marinette's wall of pictures, all of Adrien from various modeling shoots or class photos.

"Er." Marinette managed to get out not knowing what to say as fear and panic washed over her in waves. She had always wanted to hear Adrien say that he was her boyfriend but this seemed like cheating somehow.

"Cos you seem to have a lot of pictures of me." Adrien said turning to look at Marinette more closely. "I'm so sorry that I can't remember you or anything, hell I don't know my own name but y'all keep calling me Adrien so I assume that is my name. If we are a couple it would explain why I know that Ladybug and I fight really well together but I have no idea why I know that."

"I'm not your girlfriend." Marinette blurted out and hated saying that but she knew it was the truth. She looked at Adrien's confused face and decided to admit to everything, he would forget it soon anyway and it would be good practice for when she did confess her feelings to him. "I have the pictures cos I have a massive, debilitating crush on you. Well crush is too light of a word for how I feel about you, it would be more accurate to say that I am in love with you. I have been for a long time, pretty much ever since we first met at school and you showed me how kind you were. My crush on you is so bad that usually I can only stutter and blush around you while tripping over thin air and falling flat on my face at your feet. I can only get all of this out now because I know that once we defeat Lethe and you get your memory back you wont remember any of this. Before today I had no idea that you were Cat Noir and you didn't know that I am Ladybug, we have been fighting akumas for over a year and gotten so good at it that we trust each other explicitly."

"Oh, that explains a lot and why I am here, I think." Adrien said cocking his head slightly as he studied Marinette. She blushed and smiled shyly under his intense gaze. "Shame as you are very cute, I wonder why I don't like you when I have my memories, especially if I know you."

"Y-you do like me but not at the same time." Marinette said blushing at Adrien's complement, her words causing more confusion to flood Adrien's face so Marinette sighed and elaborated. "I know that Cat Noir likes Ladybug, as in he has a crush on her. At first I thought it was just some harmless flirting and that you did it with all the girls, but I realized a few months back that it was more than just flirting and that you did have feelings for me as Ladybug. Of course I didn't reciprocate them because I didn't know that the boy I loved was also Cat Noir and you had no idea I was the girl under the mask. So you see, you do like me but at the same time don't, I know I am just as confused about this as you probably are. You like Ladybug, not me."

"And your name is?" Adrien asked causing Marinette to slap her forehead, she hadn't told him her name yet. It wouldn't hurt to tell him seeing as he would forget all this when Lethe was defeated.

"Marinette." Marinette said softly. "I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng, we are in the same class together at school, and I am Ladybug. That's not relevant at the moment though, what is relevant is that we need to figure out what to do now."

"Well first I want to know a little more about who I am." Adrien said before turning to the kwamis. "Plagg, I recognize you, the other kwami must be Ladybug's kwami, right?"

"Tikki, pleasure to finally meet you in person." Tikki said with a small bow. "Marinette has told me a lot about you."

"Do you two know anything about me?" Adrien asked them as Marinette blushed and silently cursed at her kwami for embarrassing her.

"Well I am your kwami so I know everything about you, let me elaborate a few things." Plagg said and Marinette noted a mischievous gleam in the kwami's eyes and a sinister smile, it was clear that Plagg was about to have some fun. "Trust me I will help you out."

"Ok." Adrien said with a hint of wariness in his voice while Tikki face palmed herself at Plagg's antics.

"Firstly you and I share a love." Plagg said clearly trying to hold back laughter. "We both love Camembert, its this near orgasmic gooey and smelly cheese that we both can't get enough of. You and I always eat it, as a matter of fact just the other day you were about to buy some of the finest cheeses, especially Camembert, in the world just for us to enjoy because I am your best friend, but you forgot so do it now. So just take out that device in your pocket and order me the cheese of my dreams."

"How?" Adrien asked as he pulled out his phone and stared blankly at it clearly not knowing what it was.

"Simple let me show you." Plagg said gleefully as he flew over, helped Adrien unlock his phone and began to search it, his mouth clearly watering at the expectation of Camembert. "See you have it all here and saved especially for me. Now just click buy, put it on your dad's account as he doesn't care, and there we go we have some of the finest cheeses in the world to enjoy tomorrow."

"I don't see why I would like this or pay all this money for some stinky old cheese but ok." Adrien said confused at what his kwami was doing. "And why do I know that the cheese is stinky?"

"Probably cos it is Plagg's favorite." Tikki said as flew over to drag Plagg away and tell him off for abusing Adrien's lack of memory for personal gain. "Likely his love for it and why was protected by his magic as he was probably thinking about it at the moment you were doused with Lethe's water. He's always been like this. Wherever we end up Plagg develops an unhealthy love for a specific food and won't eat anything else unless he absolutely has to. Its almost always something local though."

"Hey I like to assimilate to the culture of my human whenever I am active." Plagg said with an indignant huff, crossing his arms, turning his head away from Tikki and closing his eyes before continuing. "It was olives when we were in Athens, figs in Rome, dates in Egypt, that stinky fish they serve up in Scandinavia when we had humans in the Norse days and so on. Cheese, especially French cheese, is just the latest in a long line of delicacies that I have had the honor to existed on."

"But how can I afford all this?" Adrien said looking at the completed order. "These aren't exactly cheep cheeses, at least I don't think they are cheep but I admit I am not sure about prices at the moment."

"Your father is a wealthy fashion designer." Plagg said simply still not looking at anyone. "And you are a model, those pictures on Marinette's wall are from ads you have done."

"Plagg there is no need for that." Marinette said blushing at what he had said, it made her seem like the obsessed fan girl that she was. "Anyway Adrien doesn't like cheese so why are you doing this to him?"

"Payback." Plagg said simply as he opened his eyes, a slight vindictive gleam in them. "Back before that Siren situation Adrien tried to bribe me in hopes I would give up Master Fu when I wasn't supposed to and then almost renounced me before Fu arrived just in time to save my tail. This is probably my only chance at getting payback and at getting that fine cheese."

"Well now that you have had your fun lets get back to the task at hand." Tikki said shaking her head disapprovingly at Plagg's antics. "What are we going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious." Plagg said clearly annoyed that his fun was over. "We transform, go find this Lethe knockoff that Hawk Moth created, you use your Lucky Charm, we beat her, purify the butterfly, and then set everything back to normal. You know the usual shit that we do. Then we remember this so that when we do defeat Hawk Moth and free Nooroo we can slap him silly for once again meddling with the powers of the underworld."

"Nooroo will need our help to make him better after the ordeal he has suffered at the hands of Hawk Moth." Tikki said indignantly. "He is Hawk Moth's slave, no kwami would turn to evil unless he or she was forced to by their human. That is why I am worried for Duusu, no one knows where she or her miraculous is and Master Fu fears that it is in Hawk Moth's possession. If so he might give it to an ally and then we will have two miraculous villains to deal with."

"This sounds like a good plan, and we can look for Duusu and Nooroo later, but we should act soon." Marinette said interrupting the kwamis. "Lethe could be reeking havoc on Paris for all we know but seeing as there has been no news about her since we got back, I think she is hiding and waiting for us. Therefore, before we go you two are going to come clean about these mythology references you keep making. I'm getting very confused."

"Very well." Tikki said with a sigh and a reproachful look at Plagg. "Plagg wasn't supposed to mention it but he did and well Hawk Moth did force our hand by granting an akuma access to the Lethe river. Basically all the classic myths you have heard are real. The Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian and many other gods are real and still alive in our world today, they just aren't worshiped as widely as they once were. Now the Greek and Roman ones are just different personalities of the same god based on which culture worshiped them at the time. In addition, many gods have disappeared because they were forgotten as time passed. Then there's the Egyptian ones who seldom visit our world, the Norse ones that don't interact much with the French but have some presence and they are even more confusing than the Greeks, and so on. For the most part they leave Europe alone, except the Egyptian ones, they have some presence here due to a former great magician being French or something. There was also recently a war between the Greece-roman gods and the Giants of Gaia that was fought out in Rome and Greece. There is a lot more to talk about like monsters and demigods but that is the overview for now, we can talk later about it if you would like."

"My head hurts." Marinette said rubbing her temples as a headache began to form while she was processing Tikki's information. Her attempt to kiss a wall earlier also didn't help her head at the moment. "I don't understand any of this."

"And you shouldn't." Tikki said as she flew over to look closely at Marinette's head. "You are mortal and as such shouldn't be able to see most of the mythical world. There is a mist that obscures your vision though that might dissipate a bit now that you know. We kwami's, while tied to that world by our creator, are a separate form of magic and as such can be seen by mortal humans. It is all confusing as there are many overlapping worlds that exist simultaneously and normally there is little mixing between what we kwamis do and what the world of gods and monsters do."

"However, unfortunately because of our magic, more specifically Nooroo's ability to grant powers as the miraculous of generosity, we occasionally overlap with the mythical world when Nooroo taps into a god or goddess's power when granting someone superpowers." Plagg said shaking his head. "He can tap into the powers of that world if forced to which is what he has done now and as such forced us to reveal all of this to you."

"So there is an underworld?" Marinette asked rubbing her head, she was starting to envy the fact that Adrien wouldn't remember any of this, she certainly did not want to remember any of this. "Like where the dead go, right?"

"There are many different types of underworld." Plagg said with a nod. "I know them well as the miraculous of destruction I have ties to the destructive nature of death just as Tikki has ties to the creative nature of life. Each old religion has one, be it Valhalla, Hades, whatever the Egyptians use, or another thing and you go to the one that you believe in or you go to Hades but don't know that you are there. The one we are currently dealing with today is the Greek one, well Greece-roman but Lethe is originally Greek. As Adrien pointed out correctly earlier, there are 5 rivers in Hades's domain. The Styx which all the dead must be ferried across, the Cocytus which is the river of misery, the Acheron which is the river of pain I believe, the Phlegethon which is the river of fire and the Lethe which you already know about. It is the last one we are going to have to deal with now. I will have words with Hades next week at our weekly card game in the catacombs and see if he can come up with a way to close off Nooroo's access to the gods powers, or at least to that of his domain, as it could get dangerous when Nooroo meddles with the powers of the gods. Especially so if Hawk Moth forces him to tell him about the full extent of his abilities and the truth about the mythical world."

"Wait you're still in contact with these er gods?" Marinette asked shocked at what Plagg was saying.

"Plagg is, I prefer our world." Tikki said helpfully. "That and I don't get on with many of them."

"Of course I am." Plagg said happily. "I have to do something when Adrien is busy with Piano, or Chinese, or modeling, or fencing, or whatever. Besides Hades and I have been buds for millennia. Every week me, Hades, the Greek god of death Thanatos, the Greek god of sleep Hypnos and the Guardian of Bones meet up in the catacombs and play a fun filled game of cards. Usually its poker but we mix it up from time to time."

"Guardian of Bones?" Marinette said with a shiver at the thought of that and she had no idea what a Guardian was other than Master Fu and she was pretty sure that Plagg wasn't talking about him. "Who the hell is that?"

"Technically he is the illegal son of Hades, or hell as you would know it, and Nyx the primordial goddess of the night." Plagg said as if that explained everything. "Decent guy, knows how to throw a party, though a little heavy on the talking skulls for my liking."

"Is he related to the Great Guardian of the Miraculous?" Marinette asked still trying to process all of this.

"Its a long story." Tikki said with a glance at Plagg that warned him to not open his mouth again. "But the Guardian that Plagg mentioned is part of an even more mythical order than anything else. Little is known about them and honestly it is too confusing and hard to explain them now, especially when we have a more pressing situation to deal with. That of defeating Lethe and getting your crush's memory back."

"Ok my head hurts too much for this." Marinette said with a heavy sigh and ignoring Tikki's jibe. "Tikki, you will have to explain all this to me later when I can focus on it."

"Well the plan y'all came up with works for me." Adrien said causing all of them to turn to the blond model. Because of his loss of memory he had been quiet this entire time and hadn't said a word so they had accidentally forgotten about him while explaining everything to Marinette. "Though how will I be of any assistance, I don't remember much other than being Cat Noir. I think I how skilled I might be but I can't say for certain."

"Just focus on Cat Noir kid." Plagg said flying over to him. "You will remember how to be Cat Noir once you transform, trust me."

"Er ok." Adrien said looking wary and confused.

"Just follow my lead." Marinette said kindly putting a reassuring hand on Adrien's shoulder and causing herself to blush deeply at the contact. "I will make sure it all goes well kitty."

"Ok I seem to recall trusting you." Adrien said with a smile that made Marinette's heart flutter. "Lead on, m'lady."

Knowing that the pet name was coming from Adrien now made Marinette blush instead of rolling her eyes as she turned. It was time to get his memories back. What she and the kwamis did not notice was that Adrien slipped a piece of paper into his pocket. They had been so engrossed in their discussion that Marinette and the two kwamis had not noticed Adrien writing on a slip of paper the entire time.

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said and Marinette, now as Ladybug, turned to see Cat Noir standing in her room looking over the suit in amazement before he looked at her smiling broadly. "I remembered the activation phrase!"

"Well done kitty now follow me." Marinette said as she headed over to the trap door to her roof, unlocked it, and opened it. "We have a crazy akuma to defeat and your meowmeries, I mean memories to reclaim."

Marinette cursed herself at the terrible pun but knowing Adrien had been the one making them had caused her to think of them in a new light. Shaking her head to focus on the task at hand and not at the fact that Adrien liked her, Marinette threw her yo-yo and swung away and into the heart of Paris. Adrien was hot on her heals clearly remembering how to use his staff to travel through the city.

It didn't take long for Marinette and Adrien to find Lethe. Marinette decided to swing back to where they had faced Lethe before and see if Lethe was still in the area. Marinette reasoned that because the reason for which Lethe had been akumatized was because a lover had decided to forget her around the Pont des Arts, the akuma would chose that area to attack couples in Paris, it was one of the more romantic spots in Paris. What Marinette hadn't counted on was that Lethe was waiting for them in the area right where Marinette was swinging into. Marinette almost missed the blast of inky water Lethe sent at them.

Marinette dodged right and she saw Adrien dodge left out of the way of the jet of water just in time. She was fed up with dealing with this akuma, the longest lasting and toughest they had faced since Stoneheart. Marinette swung down and before Lethe could get another shot off Marinette swung full speed, feet first, into the akuma and launched her backwards and into a nearby wall hard enough to crack it. Marinette was no longer playing any games with this bitch.

"Cat Noir, extend your staff and keep her pinned to the wall." Marinette ordered a little harsher than usual. She hated having having to order her partner but in his current state she had to do it, plus she was angry at all this akuma had put them through and wanted to defeat her as soon as possible.

"Of course, m'lady." Cat Noir said as his baton extended into a staff and caught the akuma in her chest, pinning her to the wall before she could fall off it. Fortunately Lethe had been stunned by the blow and was slow to recover so Marinette had a precious few seconds to act.

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette yelled throwing her yo-yo into the air. What came down and into her hands was a ladybug patterned weed whacker, Marinette smiled, for once her Lucky Charm had given her something she could use without seeing what complex plan it required of her to actually work.

"Oh, yeah." Marinette said with a smirk as she pulled the cord to turn the wacker on with a loud roar. "This will do nicely. Deal with this, bitch."

"You will not defeat me!" Lethe screamed as she struggled to wriggle free but Cat Noir held her put as he put all his strength into pinning the strong akuma to the wall.

"I beg to differ." Marinette said as she leapt at Lethe wielding the weed whacker and aiming at the poppy. "Time to prune your little weed, damn Cat's rubbing off on me. At least he won't remember my puns."

With a swift move Marinette cut off the head of the poppy in Lethe's hand as the akuma screamed. As soon as the flower was severed a purple and black butterfly flew out. Dropping the whacker Marinette drew a line down her yo-yo and it turned white before opening.

"Time to de-evilize." Marinette said as she threw the yo-yo in an arc and caught the akuma in it and the yo-yo turned back to normal. Once it was closed Marinette waited for a moment before touching the yo-yo again and a pure white butterfly flew out and away. "Bye bye little butterfly."

Marinette then walked over to the discarded weed whacker and threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

A swarm of magical ladybugs appeared and spread out all over Paris as they fixed all the damage that the two fights had caused, cleaning up all the water and restoring people's memories. As soon as they swarmed over Adrien he staggered and let go of the woman he had pinned to wall, her transformation having fallen and causing her to pass out. Marinette quickly ran over to catch the woman before she hit the ground and rest her gently on the ground.

"Ladybug? What happened?" Came Adrien's groggy voice.

Marinette turned to see Adrien, still as Cat Noir, swaying on his feet a hand to his head. Without thinking Marinette ran over and embraced him in a fierce hug.

"M'lady what have I done to deserve such affection." Cat Noir said as he hugged her back purring slightly. "Not that I am complaining mind you."

"Just glad to see that you are ok." Marinette said as she jumped away from him blushing when she realized she had just hugged Adrien. "You were hit by the akuma's attack, water that causes forgetfulness and complete memory loss."

"I remember the akuma." Adrien said clearly thinking hard. "Lethe right? Named after the river of forgetfulness and oblivion from Greek mythology."

"Yup." Marinette said with a nod as her earrings beeped signaling 5 minutes before she transformed back. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Only being hit with the water that was meant for you and then now, I have no idea how long I was out." Adrien said shaking his head. "Yet again this has happened but I would still do it over again to protect my bugaboo."

"Yeah, you did it to protect me." Marinette said with a smile and another blush as her earrings beeped again. "So thank but I have to go, bug out."

Marinette threw her yo-yo and swung away before Adrien could say anything. She knew she would have to do something about the fact that she knew his secret and he didn't know hers. The fact that she knew that they liked each other now helped, even if Adrien didn't know that. She would tell him her secret but not yet, she had to give him time to recover. Besides Tikki needed to recharge and she had homework to do.

* * *

"See you later." Adrien said as he watched Ladybug swing away. "I will always save you m'lady. Paris needs your creation more than it needs my destruction."

After checking to see that Hawk Moth's latest victim had recovered, she didn't remember a thing as was the case for akumatized villains, he activated his staff and left. It took a few minutes for him to reach his house and another minute to make sure that he could enter without a problem via the open window he always left open when he was in his room during an akuma attack.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said with a sigh as he collapsed on his sofa, his kwami flying out of the ring and instantly over to a small fridge where Adrien kept some Camembert for Plagg.

"Cheese at last." Plagg yelled as he phased through the fridge door and emerged a moment later shivering and holding his precious cheese aloft as if it was a sacred object, right before he scoffed it whole. "Oh how I have missed you, my gooeyness goddess."

"I will never understand your love for that stinky cheese." Adrien said as he reached for his phone to see what he had missed while he was fighting the akuma.

Adrien usually left his phone in his room or bag when there was an akuma attack but he recalled having it with him when the attack happened though his memory was still a little fuzzy regarding the whole battle before he lost it when Lethe hit him with her water. Adrien just shrugged and put it down to the after effects of Lethe's water hitting him, it wasn't the first time he had lost a portion of his memory due to an akuma's power and he knew that it wouldn't be the last. As Adrien reached for his phone his hand come into contact with a folded piece of paper in his pocket. Confused, Adrien pulled it out, noting that it was tinged pink for some reason, and opened it up. He racked his brain but he had no memory of putting it there. As he read his own writing his eyes widened at what he had written and realized why he had no memory writing it or of putting it there.

 _Adrien,_

 _This is Adrien. Well at least I think I am Adrien, I'm not exactly sure about that at the moment. All I know is that I am Cat Noir and that Plagg is my kwami but short of the basics of knowing about being a miraculous holder is I know nothing else, including nothing about my civilian life. Apparently this is because I pushed Ladybug out of the way of some akumatized villain, whatever that is, called Lethe who was harnessing the waters of the real river Lethe, again not sure what that is. That water caused me to lose almost all my memories, certainly everything about my civilian identity. Therefore, I am writing this while in Ladybug's civilian room while she, Plagg and her kwami, a red thing called Tikki, discuss what to do. I am doing this for your sake so that you can figure out what has happened while you lost your memory. Apparently you will recover all your memories bar your memory of this period when you defeat Lethe so I am writing this so that you know what happened while you had no memory, I think you will want to know what happened while you were out so to speak. So let us begin._

 _Firstly, Ladybug took you back to her room to try and sort you out as Lethe had fled after she wiped your memory. She knows that Cat Noir is this boy she calls Adrien. She has pictures of you all over her wall, like pictures from catalogs that you apparently modeled in, as well as a framed picture of you on her desk, seriously it is a little obsessive but who am I to judge. She has admitted to being in love with you for like a year though she claims she isn't your girlfriend, which is a shame as she is very pretty. However, fortunately for you, it seems that you both have feelings for each other though you seem to have developed them for her superhero form, according to her and Plagg, while she did so for your civilian one hence why you two never realized. Seriously it is really confusing and annoying, but now she knows and knows your civilian identity so that's a start I guess._

 _Secondly, do not trust anything your kwami says about your memory loss if it involves cheese. Plagg, after sorting things out with Ladybug, decided to take full advantage of your loss of memory for his own personal gain. He tried to persuade you that you liked that stinky cheese he likes, Camembert if I recall the name correctly, and managed to persuade you to buy him a lot of really expensive cheeses that you apparently threatened to blackmail him with a while back. Check your that rectangular thing in your pocket that Plagg called a phone for confirmation of this. I would suggest withholding cheese from him or using it as leverage against him in the future. Mischievous little imp am I right._

 _Thirdly, the Greek. Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and apparently other Gods and Goddesses from mythology are real! That's how Lethe got her power, it was water from the actual underworld river Lethe. Now I was confused by this part so I started writing to avoid my head hurting more than it already did. I suggest getting Plagg to tell you about it, and make sure he stops playing cards with Hades every week. You can use the cheese as leverage here if you want._

 _Lastly, seeing as Ladybug knows who you are and revealed herself to you while your memory was gone I believe it is best for you to know who she is under the mask. It is only fair after all that happened. Plus, that way you know who she is and can finally ask her out, she will say yes. Her real name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she knows you and apparently is in your class at school, whatever that is. Go get her kitty cat, meow._

 _Hope this helps, gotta go they are wrapping their discussions on the gods up and preparing to go and I don't want Marinette to see this note. Time to reclaim my memory._

 _Adrien, I think._

Adrien had to reread the letter multiple times for its contents to fully sink in. When he had first read it it had shocked him and he struggled to believe it, had it not been in his own hand then he wouldn't have believed it. All of it shocked him, well all except Plagg taking advantage of the situation for his own personal gain, that was typical of his kwami. Ladybug finally knew who he was under the mask and she knew him in real life as well as in their superhero lives. He didn't fault her for finding out the way she had, she had no choice but to do what she had done and he trusted her with his secret, he trusted her explicitly. The fact that she liked him as well, well liked him as Adrien, was a great bonus. When he had continued reading and found out that she was Marinette it had surprised him as he had never thought of her as more than a friend or realized she was in love with him but that didn't matter. She was Ladybug, she had protected his identity when he had no memory, and she taken him in and cared for him when he had lost his memory. It was clear that without Marinette, Ladybug wouldn't be the girl he had fallen in love with. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her back, he had been in love with Ladybug for a long time and now he knew who she was and that she liked him back he could pursue her in real life as well. The mythological stuff would have to be addressed but that could wait until later. He had to contact Marinette as soon as possible, but first he had to interrogate his kwami to confirm the truth and deal with the cheese situation.

"Plagg can you come here and read this." Adrien said as he pulled out his phone and saw the order confirmation for all the cheeses he had threatened the kwami with, as well as several he didn't threaten the kwami with, a few weeks back, just before he met Master Fu for the first time.

"Read what, you know I don't like to read." Plagg said as he hovered over, his arms crossed and hugging a piece of Camembert to his chest. "Unless it involves cheese or how amazing I am."

"It does involve cheese." Adrien said as he held up the note he had written himself and waved in front of Plagg.

Plagg sighed and hovered over to read it. Adrien watched as his kwami's mouth fell open as he read, his arms going limp and dropping the cheese piece he was holding, and smiled. Plagg had confirmed that everything was true, his kwami was terrible at hiding his emotions, though the cards thing was really odd given Plagg's lack of a poker face most of the time. As soon as Plagg was done he looked up at Adrien, shock evident in his green eyes.

"Well Plagg, is it true?" Adrien asked with a smirk.

"I plead the 5th." Plagg said as he recovered, crossed his arms, ignoring the dropped cheese, and turned his head away closing his eyes, though Adrien noticed that Plagg was rereading the letter out of the corner of one eye. "We kwamis have an inalienable right to remain silent."

"Plagg this can go one of two ways." Adrien said calmly as he folded up the letter and put it back in his pocket for later. "Either you confirm that it is the truth about what happened while I had no memory and I don't ban you from cheese for a month, including all this new cheese I seem to have bought you. Or you confirm that this letter is the truth and nothing but the truth and I forget that you used my lack of memory to order thousands of euros worth of expensive cheese that my dad will not even glance at. That and you explain all of this mythology shit to me later, once I deal with the Ladybug stuff."

Plagg's eyes flew open and went wide at the threat, fear evident in them. Zooming over to Adrien, Plagg prostrated himself on the sofa in front of Adrien his head pressed into the cushion, his ass in the air.

"Alright I confess ever word of that is true." Plagg said in a clearly overly dramatic fashion as he looked up at Adrien. "Every last word of it, please do not take away my cheese. I will tell you everything. Yes Marinette is Ladybug, yes I used your memory loss for my own gain, yes the world of the ancient myths is in fact real and still thriving today, yes I am 40 grand in debt to the God of the Underworld but in my defense that took several millennia to achieve and can easily be paid off. I need that cheese, I must sample the finest that the cheese world has to offer a connoisseur like moi."

"Alright Plagg that's all I wanted to know." Adrien said with a laugh and his kwami flew up and hugged his cheek before flying away to hover in front of his face looking a little guilty but relieved at the same time. "Though we will have to talk about this apparent gambling you have been doing and the likely problem you have with it, though I don't understand this mythology stuff at all. Also why is my kwami playing cards with the God of the Underworld and in debt to him."

"Well it's not just Hades." Plagg said with a very sheepish look. "I owe Thanatos, that's the Greek God of Death, about 12 grand and the Guardian of Bones about 26 grand, give or take a thousand. Don't worry, all I need is a few turns at Mimir's Pachinko parlor in Paris and then I can fleece Dionysus in a several rounds of pinochle to make up the rest providing I have some good wine to loosen the party god up. I've been in deeper in the past don't worry."

"Er ok, this is defiantly something, along with all this gods stuff, that we can discuss tonight but first I need to message Marinette." Adrien said looking at Plagg wondering what else his kwami had been hiding from him.

"Why?" Plagg asked. "You will see her tomorrow in school."

"Cos she is my lady, my bugaboo, and she likes me as much as I like her." Adrien said as he pulled out his phone and began to scroll through his contacts. "So I am going to message her, ask if she can come round and help me on some homework that I seem to have lost and need to redo, and then confront her with the letter. If all goes according to plan we will be dating by the end of the night. You are still not off the hook for all of this but I will come up with a suitable punishment later."

Plagg seemed to be properly chastised as Adrien found Marinette's number and texted her. He asked if she could come round as soon as possible and bring notes from class the day before as he couldn't find his, or the homework, and he knew she was good at the subject so he could use her help in redoing it. It was due tomorrow so the sooner she come by the better. Once that was done Adrien put his phone down and awaited her reply.

"Alright Plagg seeing as we likely have an hour or so before Marinette arrives start explaining all of this from the beginning." Adrien said looking at his kwami seriously. "Tell me about the Greek Gods and convince me that they are real."

* * *

"Marinette, earth to Marinette, your phone just went off." Alya's voice cut through her room but Marinette barely heard it, she was too distracted with her thoughts from earlier in the day.

Ever since getting back from defeating Lethe, Marinette had been distracted. She had barely greeted Alya when her best friend had arrived to do some work and gossip about the latest postings on the Ladyblog after both battles with Lethe. All Marinette could think about was Adrien and Cat Noir. She had been so worried earlier that she hadn't let all that she had learned today sink in, that was probably why she had been able to talk to Adrien normally earlier, that or it may have been his lack of memory so he wasn't acting all sweet and Adrieny that made her melt. However now she knew that Adrien, the boy she was madly in love with, was also Cat Noir. Marinette knew that Cat Noir loved Ladybug so that meant that Adrien loved her too, or at least loved part of her. She could barely function with this knowledge but that was not what what kept distracting her, no what distracted her was her guilt. Guilt that she had found out Cat Noir's secret identity without his consent, guilty that he wouldn't remember hers because of the effects of her power, guilty because she knew that it should have been her who had been hit by Lethe's water and not Adrien. It should have been her who suffered today and not Adrien but he had sacrificed himself again for her, once again showing how much he cared for her. All of this wracked Marinette as she stared at the latest picture of her love, she had put it up to cover the Plagg shaped indent in her wall, and knowing that if she had the confidence to tell him the truth that all her love for Adrien would finally be reciprocated. She was so distracted by the Adrien revelations that the stuff about mythological gods being real had been forgotten completely for the time being.

"Its from Adrien." Alya said and that snapped Marinette out of her thoughts and caused her to turn so fast in her seat that she fell off it and onto her floor in a heap causing Alya to giggle from her chaise where the girl was sitting.

"What d-does he w-want." Marinette stuttered out as she got up and gingerly picked up her phone from Alya's outstretched hand.

"I dunno I just saw that it was from him that's all." Alya said with a shrug. "You seem more distracted by him than usual, at least a message from him can still get through to you though."

"What? Oh yeah just a long day." Marinette said distractedly as she unlocked her phone and glanced down at the message.

 **Adrien:** hey Marinette, sorry to bother you but can you come round to my place as soon as possible. I seem to have lost my notes and homework for Ms. Bustier's class tomorrow and there's no way I can get it done without help. I know you're good at the material and I need help! Xxx

"Well what does it say!" Alya said after a moment of Marinette just staring at her phone open mouthed at what Adrien had said to her.

Marinette was sure that her heart would explode from how fast it was beating any moment. Adrien wanted her, her, to come round and help him, alone, and tonight! He had even added three Xs at the end. The sensory overload, coupled with everything from earlier, was almost too much for Marinette's sense to keep up with and she was starting to feel light headed. Her guilt from earlier also didn't help her current condition. All she could do was hand her phone over to Alya to read the message.

"GIRL YOU HAVE TO GO!" Alya yelled at her finally causing Marinette to get herself under some semblance of control. "Adrien wants you to go help him, this could be your chance to tell him how you feel about him."

"B-but why me? Why not Nino?" Marinette asked confused.

"Don't question it and don't worry about Nino I'll take care of him." Alya said as she began to type furiously on her phone for a few seconds before looking up at Marinette with a wide grin. "There he is now occupied. Answer Adrien!"

"Ok." Was all Marinette could manage to say as she took her phone back and began to reply. Fortunately through the screen she couldn't stutter or blush around him.

 **Marinette:** I can do that but what about Nino, you're closer to him?

Marinette didn't have to wait long before Adrien replied, he was clearly near his phone.

 **Adrien:** I did ask him as well as you but he just told me that he and Alya have a date tonight. Besides I would rather you come around then Nino. Xxx

Marinette felt her lips go up in a smile and a blush heat her cheeks at Adrien's words. He wanted her and not Nino, that had to mean something, right? She looked over at Alya who was beaming at her and mouthed a thank you to her best friend before turning back to her phone to see another message from Adrien.

 **Adrien:** it's ok if you are busy, I can always ask Chloe, she will have Sabrina's answers and wouldn't hesitate to bring them if I asked.

 **Marinette:** NO DON'T ASK CHLOE! I'm free right now, I'll be over in a few minutes. See you soon. Xxx

Marinette had a feeling that Adrien was toying with her by mentioning Chloe to get to act faster but she didn't care, she was about to be alone with Adrien! She was going to head over right away. She glanced back to see one more message from Adrien.

 **Adrien:** alright, I will let Nathalie know so that she can let you in and up to my room. See you soon. Xxx

"I have to go over to Adrien's." Marinette said in a rush to Alya as she leapt to her feet and promptly fell flat on her face, again. "Thank you for getting Nino out of the way, I owe you big time for this. You can let yourself out."

"You are calling me as soon as you are home and telling me everything, that's my price." Alya said as Marinette just nodded, grabbed her book bag and purse, hoping Tikki was in the latter, and threw open the trap door.

"Will do." Marinette called back as she left her room, yelled at her parents that she was going out and ran as fast as she could to Adrien's mansion.

Fortunately she knew the fasted way to get there on foot, she had all the best routes planned out just in case, and ran as fast she could. She didn't know why Adrien wanted her there but she wasn't going to question it, at least not yet. All of her guilty thoughts and worries from earlier were gone, now all she was focused on was getting to Adrien as fast as was humanly possible.

She reached the Agreste Mansion a few minutes later completely out of breath and rang the buzzer by the gate. The security eye shot out, looked at her and before she could say anything other than gasp for breath, seriously when she was Ladybug she had near endless energy because of the magic of the miraculous but once she was Marinette again it was gone. Suddenly, without a word, the gates slid open to grant her access to the mansion. Composing herself as best she could she walked up to the entrance and the waited for the doors to be opened. Nathalie, Gabriel Agreste's personal assistant, was waiting for her in the large entrance hall, a stoic look on her professional face. Without a word she turned and led Marinette in and up the stairs to Adrien's room. His bodyguard was outside the door and stood aside to let them in, also without a word. Marinette made sure to show that she was impressed as she had never been to Adrien's room before as herself, only as Ladybug.

"Adrien, your friend is here." Nathalie said, with a hint of knowing in her tone as if she knew about Marinette's crush, as she opened the door to Adrien's room and ushered her in before saying to her. "As soon as you are done I shall escort you out."

With that Nathalie moved aside so that Marinette could enter the room and then closed the door behind her before she could thank the older woman. Adrien was standing by his large windows and smiling a genuine smile at Marinette as she entered, a hint of a blush on his cheeks. Marinette knew she was blushing as she tried very hard to walk in a straight line to Adrien.

"Sorry I took so long." Marinette said, her continued breathlessness from the run allowing her to talk normally around him as she took of her bag and placed it on his sofa. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well let's start with this." Adrien said as he reached into his pocket and produced a piece of paper with a pink tint to it, the exact same kind she had in her room. As soon as she saw it Marinette felt a knot of fear form in her stomach and almost missed what Adrien said next as she took it with trembling hands,fearing what would be written on it.

"It is all I could find from earlier."

Marinette opened up the paper and read what was on it. It was in Adrien's immaculate hand and it detailed everything that he had missed earlier when he had lost his memory. Everything. Marinette read it with dread as fear, regret and guilt began to flood her and threaten to spill out of her.

"Is it true?" Adrien asked in a kind but serious voice. She looked up and saw the hope and pleading in his eyes.

Adrien's question and the look on his face cut into her and all the emotions she had been holding back since she got home after defeating Lethe came flooding out in one go. With one word the dam broke and she collapsed onto his sofa sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yes."

* * *

Adrien had no idea what to expect when he had handed Marinette the note his memory less self had written while apparently in her room but he had not expected her to suddenly break down in tears in front of him. Rushing over to her and sitting next to her he put his arm around her and pulled her to him. He had no idea how to deal with a hysterical girl but he would try his best. He did love this girl and he hated to see her so upset.

"Marinette, please don't cry. What's wrong?" Adrien asked as Marinette sobbed into his chest. "Is it something I said or did? If it is then I am really sorry."

"It, its not y-you, its m-me. I-I betrayed your t-trust." Marinette sobbed out not looking at him. "I found out who you were w-without asking f-for your p-permission, or w-without your m-memory, a-and then I d-didn't t-tell y-you the t-truth as soon as y-your memories returned as I sh-should have. I, I'm so s-sorry A-Adrien, I, I d-didn't know w-what to d-do. Y-you sacrificed your m-memory for me a-and I repaid you by finding out who you were w-without telling you w-who I was as s-soon as you c-could r-remember m-me."

"Shh Marinette it's ok, I don't mind that you found out or how it happened." Adrien said rubbing her back gently as he pulled her closer. "You know I will always have your back, m'lady. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I don't regret sacrificing my memories for you one bit. I knew that in the end you would set it all right as you always manage to do. And while I had no memories you did what only you would do and took care of me. It is why I love you Marinette, you always put others before yourself no matter what the cost, you are the perfect Ladybug. How can I be mad about you finding out who I was the way you did, you likely saved me from having my identity revealed to the whole of Paris. I wouldn't have cared if you had decided to keep it secret but I am glad it is all out now, even if it all came out in a way neither of us was expecting and there are some other things that our kwamis need to talk with us about later but that's for later, now is for us."

"You're, you're n-not mad." Marinette said looking up at Adrien for the first time since she had broken down. Adrien hated seeing her tear streaked face and gently cupped her cheek with his hand and rubbed away a tear that was trickling down her face.

"Not at all, bugaboo." Adrien said with a warm smile. "I'm glad we finally know the truth and now I know the face of the girl I love."

"Y-you still l-love me?" Marinette asked clearly disbelieving the words. "Even though I am nothing like Ladybug."

"You are Ladybug with or without the mask, that is why you were chosen for the honor, m'lady." Adrien said still smiling. "I always knew I would love the girl under the mask, I'm just glad that it is someone I know and who loves me back. I love you Marinette pure and simple."

"I love you too Adrien." Marinette confirmed with a slight hiccup and a cute smile as her tears finally stopped. "Puns and all, kitty."

Adrien smiled at this and lowed his head to Marinette's. Slowly, cautiously, he captured her soft lips with his own for the first time that he could remember. She melted into the kiss and they stayed like that for what felt like forever. Adrien lost himself in the moment, glad that it had all worked out in the. There was still stuff to talk about but for now it was just him and his lady lost in a blissful moment that could last a lifetime.

 **The crossover elements are from the Percy Jackson series and surrounding universe including the Kane Chronicles and the Magnus Chase series as well as my only foray into the Percy Jackson fanfiction community. Crossovers will occur in the future should they work and they can be requested in prompt suggestions, however with crossover prompts I will limit them to crossovers with series I know well enough to write about and are from planet earth, at least for now, as I don't do inter-world crossovers very well unless they are deep crossovers like my Avatar: The Tale of Harry series. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this really long oneshot, the third longest single piece I have every written (by 6 words), it has been my favorite to write so far. Keep the prompts coming, next week's will be up at the usual time, and let me know what you think in reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	10. Blogger

**Here is my 10th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This one will be a lot shorter than last week's (but still long). This prompt was suggested a few weeks back by Tetsu Deinonychus. This prompt will be a mix of ideas and concepts used in 'Deductions,' 'Inconsistencies,' and 'Parents' and I have taken one liberty I usually wouldn't take in altering current cannon but it was to make the prompt work. As of publishing there is has been no suggestions for future prompts, don't worry I have 4 or 5 of my own ready just in case but I prefer the one's y'all suggest to me. Anyway, enough rambling bullshit, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Blogger.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Blogger** **\- Alya finally has Trixx full time, though can only transform when Ladybug requests it. While introducing Trixx to her blogs, Trixx answers a few key questions that allow Alya and Trixx to figure out who Ladybug is. After overcoming her initial shock, Alya confirms with Nino about Adrien's feelings for a certain spotted heroine and hatches a plan, with Trixx's help, to force Marinette to reveal her secret to Adrien. What Alya doesn't realize is that more than secret is at stake and her actions have consequences beyond her wildest expectations.  
**

* * *

 **Blogger**

"So, what are you up too Alya." Trixx said as he floated idly in front of Alya while she was typing at her computer in her room.

"Working on my blogs Trixx." Alya said to her mischievous fox kwami as she continued to type with the kwami right in front of her eyes. "It is my passion and my main hobby."

Yesterday Ladybug had given her the Fox Pendent to keep. Apparently, the Great Guardian of the Miraculous had agreed to allow Alya to hold the miraculous on a permanent basis under one condition. Alya could only transform when Ladybug stopped by to request her aid and only when that happened. It wouldn't happen that often, so for most of the time Rena Rouge would stay dormant. Still she was glad to have her kwami around permanently, even if he needed to be caught up on modern technology.

"Huh, and what is a blog?" Trixx asked as he flipped over and hovered over Alya's shoulder to look at the screen.

"Well, a blog is an information and or discussion website online that is usually dedicated to certain topics, usually it has articles and videos on them." Alya said. "I have several currently active. One on food for my mom, one on animals for my dad, a recent one on music for my boyfriend and of course my passion and greatest accomplishment, the Ladyblog. That is the one I am working on right now."

"The Ladyblog." Trixx muttered as he looked at the two latest posts on it, both about Rena Rouge, before reading them out loud. "Who is Rena Rouge? Why does she only occasionally appear? Er, Alya are you trying to reveal your secret identity or something? You know you're not supposed to do that."

"What oh no its just a post to create a discussion about Rena Rouge." Alya said with a smile. "And so, I can figure out how to avoid suspicion being cast on me of course. I have similar discussion boards for Hawk Moth, Cat Noir and of course Ladybug. That is who this blog has been devoted to and of course my mission to figure out who she is under that mask."

"But, but y'all aren't supposed to know or let the public know, it is too dangerous." Trixx pointed out. "Besides I can't help as I have no idea who she is, or any of them for that matter, I was dormant while being collected and transported."

"Come now Trixx where is your sense of fun and adventure." Alya said poking her kwami in his stomach and causing him to giggle a little. "Part of blogging is finding the truth of things. Besides, I would never reveal hers or Cat Noir's secret identity. I am her biggest and most loyal fan, despite what Chloe said, and she trusted me with you did she not. I feel like I can keep it should I find out. I could help her in keeping it a secret. I also feel like I know her for some reason if that makes sense."

"Oh, if it is mischief and adventure that you want then I am your kwami." Trixx said happily. "I can help as best I can then, so long as you promise to keep it a secret should you find out."

"Of course, I will keep it a secret." Alya said seriously. "However, if it was someone I knew and there was a way I could use the information to help her out then I will do so without hesitation. I owe Ladybug a lot, not just for saving me from akumas, or when I was akumatized into Lady WiFi, twice, or the exclusives she has given me. No, I owe her for the trust she placed in me in giving me you, and the power of illusion that the Fox Miraculous grants me."

"Well in that case I am here to help." Trixx said flipping again, his bushy tail swishing in the air energetically. "What do you have so far? Or is there anything I can answer right away to aid my human in her blogging?"

"There is one important question that you can answer me right now." Alya said with a laugh, Trixx was catching on pretty quick. "How old is Ladybug? Cos there is evidence that Ladybug existed as far back as the ancient Egyptians 5,000 years ago but she can't be that old, can she?"

"Do you mean the current Ladybug or her kwami?" Trixx asked.

"Wait there have been more than one Ladybug!" Alya exclaimed.

"Of course, there have been several throughout history." Trixx said simply. "Same for all the other miraculouses though Ladybug and the Black Cat have been the most common. While we kwamis are immortal beings created by new concepts and emotions in this world, we are only able to manifest a physical form on this earth by the creation of a piece of magical jewelry by the Guardian of Magic himself, our holders are not immortal. Our miraculouses are pure magic and cannot be changed or destroyed, however our humans have varied over time. The Ladybug kwami is the oldest and her earrings were created during the Egyptian era but naturally humans have shorter lives than us so we change humans every now and then. Usually every generation or so though it has been about 150 years since a the main two miraculouses, Ladybug and Black Cat, were in circulation and a lot longer for me."

"I see that explains a lot." Alya said with a nod. "And narrows down my list of suspects greatly."

"It does?" Trixx asked.

"Oh yes." Alya said with a wolfish smile that she got when she was hot on the tail of a juicy story. "The evidence is starting to really pile up and this new information that you have helpfully confirmed has allowed me to review the old evidence I forgot about because of Ladybug's perceived age."

"What evidence do you have?" Trixx asked clearly getting interested in this.

"Well the key piece is a history textbook she dropped a while back that I picked up." Alya said as she searched her blog and showed the video of it to Trixx. "I ran a piece on the book being useless after I learned how old Ladybug was. That age that you have now debunked, and as such this evidence is huge."

"I assume the book limits the suspect pool drastically." Trixx said.

"Clever kwami." Alya said tickling Trixx as he giggled at her. "You are right, the book does limit my suspect pool to a very small number. That is because only my school uses it. Therefore, the book alone already rules out a lot of people. Then there is the fact that Ladybug is female so the suspect pool shrinks in half. Next is the voice analyzer evidence I have that says that Ladybug is a girl in my own age range, give or take a year either side. Therefore, she has to either be in my class, the class above, or the one below and lost her history book a while back. Of course, I am pretty sure she took it back from me during the Pharaoh akuma attack but I could be wrong on that front and just lost it during the attack and near sacrifice. However, no girl in our class has been without that book since so I think Ladybug took it back to try and protect her identify."

"Good investigating, Alya." Trixx said.

"Thank you Trixx." Alya said to her kwami. "A good blogger is a good investigator. Now all I need to do is figure out who she is based on this. Well that and the voice comparison software I have. I secretly recorded every girl in my school and am running a comparison between them and Ladybug. It is taking a while as the software is civilian tech so not as fast as I would like and I wasn't going to trust the analysis anyway but with your help I can trust it."

"Well that is still a good start." Trixx said as he looked over the blog. "What's this?"

"What that." Alya said pointing to a dark black and purple butterfly icon on the sidebar and clicked on it. "That is the list of known akuma victims and their akumatized villain form. See there is me as Lady WiFi."

Alya showed the list of 45 or so akumatized victims that had occurred in Paris since the appearance of Ladybug and Cat Noir. They were in chronological order starting with Ivan as Stoneheart and ending with the latest one, Jagged Stone's assistant Penny as Troublemaker.

"I have always admired Nooroo's work. I have a question, Alya." Trixx said as he looked through the list. "Given that you think you have narrowed Ladybug down to your class, have you thought of comparing the list of girls in your class to the list of akumatized girls on this list. Given the fact that I can tell at least a few of your classmates have been akumatized it would make sense that Ladybug has not been akumatized. She is the only one who can purify an akuma, only her power can do so. Therefore she must not have been akumatized."

"Trixx you are a fucking genius!" Alya yelled jumping up from her chair. "That is exactly how I can figure out who she is."

"Well the saying is as clever as a fox." Trixx said with a cocky smile. "So, which girls in your class haven't been akumatized?"

"Only two people in my class haven't been akumatized." Alya said off the top of her head without even looking at the list, she had it all committed to memory. "We do have Chloe Bourgeois in our class after all. The first is Adrien Agreste, likely cos he can handle Chloe better than most and is so used to disappointment that he is never negative enough for Hawk Moth. The second is my best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, likely cos she is too optimistic and happy to be akumatized though she was almost the other day when Ms. Bustier was akumatized into Zombizou, Marinette was certain that the akuma was originally meant for her."

"Alya there is your answer." Trixx exclaimed happily. "You found her."

"I did? Who?"

"Think, only one of those two is female." Trixx said. "She must be Ladybug."

"Marinette?" Alya asked incredulous, it was too preposterous to believe. "I think I would know if my best friend was Ladybug."

"Just think about it for a moment." Trixx said. "You have been at every Ladybug fight with the exception of the ones that we have aided in, and again you were still there, and have you ever seen your friend once while Ladybug was fighting an akuma."

"Well now that you mention it I haven't." Alya said then paused as she thought more about Marinette and all the akuma attacks.

Come to think about it, she had never seen Marinette and Ladybug at the same time and whenever the was an akuma attack Marinette always vanished early and showed up after the akuma was defeated claiming to have been a victim of the akuma's power or in hiding during the attack. The more she thought about it the flimsier Marinette's excused seemed to be, but in the aftermath of an akuma attack Alya had never stopped to question Marinette's excuses. Then there was the fact that Marinette was always late right after Ladybug had been seen, over slept as if she had been up late, had bruises that Alya had always assumed was because of her clumsiness but they couldn't all be from Marinette's accidents the more Alya thought about the injuries and the girl was always behind in her work or canceling for various reasons. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence against Marinette the more Alya thought about it.

"You know you might actually be onto something." Alya said thoughtfully. "The more I think about it the more the circumstantial evidence does seem to point to Marinette. She is never around when Ladybug is around and yet she knows as much as I do about her, she did forget her textbook that day and I remember how defensive she was about it when I asked to see it, and she always disagrees with me regarding Ladybug's identity being uncovered. She even said that if she was Ladybug she would not tell me to protect me, that was the day we met. Marinette and I had been having a sleepover when my sisters were akumatized and she said she wouldn't tell anyone. I used her advice when I refused to tell her about Rena Rouge and me."

"Well let's see a picture of her next to Ladybug." Trixx said and Alya quickly began to oblige as she looked for a good shot of Ladybug's face and one of her best friend. "If there is one thing that the Ladybug kwami doesn't do well it is hide the identity of her human, she has never gotten used to the idea that a simple mask isn't enough. As you know I use a larger mask, ears and a little hair dye to make you more ginger, the best hair color of all. Then there is the Moth Kwami who always uses a full-face mask and the Peahen Kwami who turns her human's skin blue. Even the Black Cat kwami does an ok job with some slight hair changes, cat eyes, and the ears are a distraction."

"I get it, let's see the results." Alya said as she got the pictures next to each other and paused when she saw the comparison. "Wow, ok that cannot be a coincidence."

Again, she was forced to pause when she realized how similar Marinette looked to Ladybug when looked at side by side. They had the same hair color, same unique twin pigtail hair style, and their eyes were the same color and shade. The only real differences were the mask and slightly longer ribbons used to tie Ladybug's hair into pigtails.

"Ok that is creepy." Trixx said looking between the pictures rapidly. "They are practically identical."

"I know." Alya said. "But it is still hard to believe that Marinette is Ladybug."

"Is it?" Trixx said a little confused. "Cos the evidence is pretty strong. Or are you just trying to save some dignity in the fact that you were oblivious to your best friend's secret."

"The latter." Alya admitted with a sheepish smile at Trixx. "I don't want to admit I was this stupid. Until I get something conclusive I will still doubt it. My pride and reputation as a blogger is at stake here Trixx."

As if on cue her phone beeped. She looked at it and saw that the voice comparison software was done. Opening the app, she yelped and dropped her phone on the desk. Staring up from the screen that Trixx was now looking at with a smirk was Marinette's smiling face with a flashing 98% match next to it. The comparison was to Ladybug's voice, it was the definitive proof that Alya needed to confirm that Marinette was indeed Ladybug, even if she didn't fully trust the comparison software.

"Well looks like there's your proof." Trixx said still smirking. "Marinette appears to be Ladybug."

All Alya could do was nod at her kwami as she gaped at the revelation. At first, she felt betrayed that her best friend hadn't told her this secret when Alya told Marinette everything, other than Trixx of course. Then she felt impressed because usually Marinette was usually an open book when it came to her secrets, just look at her massive crush on Adrien that all but Adrien could see from a mile away. Then Alya smiled. Her friend was the perfect Ladybug, she had all the qualities that made Ladybug the hero she was. Alya now understood why Marinette had not wanted her to know given her blog and her desire to unmask Ladybug. Then Alya remembered that she had not told Marinette about Rena Rouge after all, though given the fact that Marinette was Ladybug she already knew who Rena Rouge was.

That would also explain why Ladybug had chosen her to be a miraculous holder, she would have only chosen someone she trusted explicitly with the power of a miraculous and Alya felt touched that Marinette trusted her as much as she did. Alya would repay that trust by keeping Marinette's secret, as well as doing anything she could think of to repay Marinette for her trust. That was when she remembered something Nino had once mentioned in passing and gasped. Reaching down she went to her messages to text her boyfriend. She needed this confirmation because if she remembered correctly there was a way that she could repay her friend's trust and kindness in her when she gave her the Fox Miraculous.

"Alya you aren't about to blog about this, are you?" Trixx said with a hint of worry in his usually playful voice.

"What?" Alya asked as she found Nino's latest message and quickly typed out a new one to him asking him for confirmation on what he had said a few weeks ago. "Oh no I am not doing that. I promised I would keep it a secret and I will. Especially now that I know that she is my best friend Marinette there is no way I would reveal her. Marinette trusts me, I will never do anything to violate that trust."

"Then what are you doing?" Trixx asked clearly confused with what Alya was doing on her phone.

"I am texting my boyfriend." Alya said to which Trixx gave her a worried look so she continued. "Not to tell him either, I am not going to tell anyone. No, I need him to confirm something he said to me a while back. If I remember correctly then there is a way I can repay Marinette for her trust in me. Of course, it will require a little mischief and cunning and I could use your help with it. This is all depending on if I am right. If I am wrong then the plan is a no go."

"You had me at mischief." Trixx said with an impish grin. "I am the best kwami in the world on that front. So, what is the plan?"

Just then Alya's phone went off. She glanced down and saw that it was a message from Nino in reply to her question. It was time to see if her theory was correct, and if so she and Trixx could begin to plan her repayment to Marinette for her trust.

 **Nino:** hey babe! To answer your question; yes, Adrien does have a crush on Ladybug. It's better bad, like Marinette's crush on him bad. Don't tell Marinette, it would destroy her to know that Adrien has eyes for someone else. See you later, gtg, got a gig soon. Xxx

"Well Trixx that is the confirmation that I needed." Alya said with a smile at Nino's message, he didn't know that Marinette was Ladybug but she did. This meant that she could finally set them up as the morons were oblivious to the other's feelings but Alya was determined to change that. "Operation Repayment is officially a go."

"And what exactly is this operation going to be?" Trixx said a smile gracing his lips and showing off his fangs as he rubbed his paws together gleefully.

"Well, Marinette is Ladybug." Alya said as she pulled up a photo of Adrien on her computer to show Trixx. "And this is Adrien."

"The model?" Trixx asked cocking his head in confusion. "He is cute though I'm not into guys. What does he have to do with all this?"

"Everything." Alya said with a smile. "Marinette is in love with him, not just a teenage crush but actually in love with him, probably deeper than someone our age should be in love with someone but she is. My boyfriend Nino is Adrien's best friend and just like me knows that Marinette has a huge crush on Adrien. Now Adrien is completely oblivious to Marinette's feelings and it turns out he is oblivious because he has his own massive crush, on Ladybug. Nino just confirmed that to me. Well, seeing as Marinette is Ladybug that means that Adrien likes Marinette and doesn't know it yet. So now I can try and set them up as a way to repay Marinette. Any suggestions?"

"Well the obvious suggestion would be to figure a way for Adrien to find out Marinette's secret." Trixx said thoughtfully. "He has to find out on his own but you can set up the situation in which he does find out. Of course, if Adrien does like Ladybug as much as you claim he does then that is a good start as he is more likely to keep Marinette's secret. Now you can't just tell him, that defeats the point. We are going to have to be subtle, sneaky, and cunning about this. Fortunately, subtlety and cunning are my specialties and my middle names."

"Then I have the right kwami for the job." Alya said with a wicked smirk. "The question is how shall we accomplish this."

"The best way would be to figure out a way to lock the pair in a room together, a room with plenty of light, no windows, and no place to hide that is, when an akuma attack starts." Trixx said putting a paw to his chin in thought. "That way she is forced to trust him and transform in front of him in order to contact Cat Noir to get out and fight the akuma. From that point onwards the ball is in their court so to speak but we have done our job. We have not revealed that we know Marinette's secret and repaid her trust in you when she gave you my sexy ass at the same time. Only question is the akuma, it's not like we can just create one whenever we want or know when someone is going to be akumatized."

"True we can't do that but we don't need to my mischievous partner in crime." Alya said smirking as she tapped a picture of Chloe on the screen so that Trixx could see the bully for himself. "We just happen to be in the same class as one Chloe Bourgeois, the Queen Bee of creating akumas. Based on my research, at least 13 of the known akumas can be traced back, either directly or indirectly, to her making her responsible for the most akumas in Paris. All we have to do is wait for her to cause an akuma, which will be soon if I know her correctly, and then we put our plan into action."

"Excellent my young Padawan, you are learning so fast." Trixx said and Alya instantly regretted showing the kwami Star Wars last night. "Well, what are we waiting for, we have work to do. Let's start planning, a good bit of mischief always requires a thorough and very cunning plan."

Alya just laughed as she and her kwami began to plan her payment to Marinette for all that her best friend had done. Now all that she had to do was wait for Chloe to be Chloe and her plan would work, eventually. Soon Marinette would finally be with Adrien and it would all be thanks to Alya.

* * *

Alya was getting frustrated. It had been 2 weeks since she and Trixx had decided to launch their plan to force Marinette to reveal herself to Adrien so that they could finally get together and so far they had failed an impressive 6 times. There had been 9 akuma attacks in that period, an unnaturally high amount even by the usual standards for Paris, but only 6 had been caused by Chloe in such a way that they could predict the attack would come and try to set up the two teens. The other 3 had somehow been caused by Marinette, either as herself or as Ladybug, and as such couldn't have been predicted by Alya or Trixx. Still Alya was fed up with failing. She had even elicited Nino's aid but under the pretext of forcing Marinette to admit her feelings to Adrien once and for all. Still nothing had worked.

Now though Alya was certain that she would succeed. The school had announced a trip to the Palace of Versailles, a full day field trip that was mandatory for all students. When something was mandatory it almost always put Chloe in a bitchier mood than usual and Alya was sure that there would be an akuma attack while they were there, when Chloe was in a mood someone was always akumatized. She hoped that they were near enough to Paris for Hawk Moth to strike but he seemed to follow Chloe's moves these days as a way of finding easy victims for his unending quest to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. Alya was certain that it would happen while they were at the historic palace.

As the day progressed Alya became surer and surer that their tour guide would be akumatized. Chloe was being a right bitch to him and treating him like dirt beneath her feet, more so than she usually treated everyone. There was no way he wouldn't get akumatized into some historical themed villain, that was his passion and Chloe was belittling it in front of everyone. With Nino's aid, Alya was able to isolate them, Marinette and Adrien from the rest of the tour. Next it was just a matter of timing and location.

That came when Nino nudged her and pointed out a small side room, likely some sort of antechamber and they all went in. It was perfect. There was no place to hide, a closed door at one end and another at their end that they could close and no windows, just lights high in the ceiling that had been added well after the construction of the palace. While Adrien and Marinette quietly looked around clearly confused as to why Alya had taken them into the room, Alya and Nino backed out and before the two other teens could react they had closed the door forcefully and locked it. Their only way out now was Ladybug and judging by the sudden roar, Chloe had succeeded in adding yet another akuma to her impressive list of victims. Smiling at her own accomplishment, and knowing Trixx was smiling in her bag, Alya and Nino ran to the sounds of the akuma, Alya pulling out her phone and beginning the live stream for the Ladyblog.

* * *

"It would appear our friends have locked us in here." Adrien said confused as he tried to open the door, it didn't budge. "Must be some kind of prank, I am totally going to get Nino back for this."

Marinette on the other hand knew that this was no prank. There was no doubt in her mind as to why Alya had locked her in a room with Adrien. Her best friend was forcing her hand to try and get her to confess her feelings for the blond model to said blond model. Marinette was already beet red at being alone in a small room with Adrien, she wasn't sure that she could trust her voice but she put all her Ladybug confidence into herself and pulled out her phone.

"I, I'm going to c-call Alya." Marinette stuttered out and Adrien turned to look at her with his gorgeous green eyes and she felt her face heat up even more. "S-she's probably in on it. We can, g-get her back later. We'll get both o-of them."

"Good idea." Adrien said with a smile. "When we get back let's hang out and plan our revenge. It will have to be alone so that they don't figure out what we are planning."

At the thought of alone time with Adrien, Marinette felt her throat seize up and just nodded in complete agreement. Alya may have wanted her to admit her feeling in this situation but her fear prevented it, as it always did. One good thing was that it had led to future private time with Adrien and more private time with him would help build her confidence around the boy she loved and then she could confess that to him, when she was ready. Opening her phone to call Alya, Marinette saw a notification from the Ladyblog. Opening it with a sense of dread settling in her stomach Marinette swore loudly, things had just gone from bad to worse. Much worse.

"This is Alya Cesare for the Ladyblog reporting to you live from the historic Palace of Versailles where there is an akuma attack in progress." Alya then turned the camera to show their tour guide now dressed in the outfit of a French revolutionary brandishing a flintlock pistol and screaming for Chloe's head to be put into a guillotine, so a standard akuma for Marinette to deal with. "The question is, where is Ladybug and Cat Noir to save the day? And of course to once again save our mayor's daughter."

"I heard that, this was not my fault." Chloe's voice yelled from somewhere, yep definitely a standard akuma attack.

"Merde." Adrien swore into Marinette's ear and she realized he was standing right behind her, looking over her shoulder. She relished the moment of closeness to him despite the akuma attack.

"Merde is right." Marinette agreed putting her phone away and looking around.

The room was too bare to hide in so that Marinette could transform and thanks to Alya and Nino they were locked in it with no way out. Marinette realized that Alya's plan to get her to confess to Adrien had backfired and unintentionally forced her to reveal her secret to her crush. This was not good. She was frantically looking around for a way out, and for some reason Adrien was doing exactly the same with panic in his eyes that Marinette was sure mirrored the panic in her own eyes. There was no way out, she was going to have to trust Adrien.

Sighing and realizing that she had not choice Marinette looked at Adrien and their eyes met. His eyes had the same fear and resolve in them that she was sure was in hers for some reason but Marinette didn't have time to process why. She was going to have to trust him with her secret, and figure out how to get out of here without Cat Noir's cataclysm. Gulping and steeling herself Marinette opened her mouth at the same time as Adrien opened his.

"Don't tell anyone." They both said at the same time. That confused Marinette but she didn't have time to wonder why and just dived into it.

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

All Marinette could do was gawk as she transformed into Ladybug right in front of Adrien. That was because her crush had just transformed into Cat Noir in front of her eyes and he was gawking at her in his own right. The revelation was almost too much to process. Adrien was Cat Noir, she had been close to him and confident around him all year and never realized it. It also meant one big thing. She was in love with Cat Noir, Cat Noir! Her akuma fighting partner who she knew had feelings for her as Ladybug. This was almost too much to process. It seemed that Adrien was struggling with something as well but fortunately both were pulled out of their stupors by a gunshot from the akuma nearby.

"I think there is a lot more than just revenge we are going to have to talk about when we get back to Paris." Adrien said recovering faster than Marinette had. It was weird knowing that her flirtatious partner was her crush so all Marinette could do was nod at him. She didn't trust her voice around Adrien, even when she was Ladybug.

"Let's deal with this and then after we get back from the trip I will come around yours and we can talk about all of this." Adrien said, again all Marinette could do was nod as she felt her face heat up once more at the thought of alone time with Adrien.

"C-can you use y-your cataclysm t-to break us o-out." Marinette stuttered out in a very unconfident manor that Adrien must have taken for shock as he chuckled at it. It was cute and again Marinette felt the blush spread but she had a job to do.

"Of course, m'lady." Adrien said with a bow and Marinette instinctively rolled her eyes at him for that, it helped lighten the mood. "At least we have a good excuse for missing the akuma attack."

"That we do." Marinette said with a smile, no one would suspect them if they claimed they had been locked in a room together.

Adrien didn't respond. He just raised his hand.

"Cataclysm."

In a second his right claw was encased in a bubbling black energy of pure destruction. With a swipe Adrien disintegrated the door that Alya had used to lock them in.

"After you, bugaboo." Adrien said with a wink that sent a shiver down Marinette's spine now that she knew who the pet names were coming from. "Let's go deal with this akuma. Our revenge on our friends can wait."

Marinette just nodded and ran out of the room. Her revenge against Alya would be epic but as Cat Noir had said, it would have to wait. They had an akuma to defeat first, afterwards she could deal with this sudden revelation and all that cam with it.

* * *

Marinette heard the knock on her trap door and went to open it, knowing exactly who it was who was there. She and Adrien had defeated the akuma easily, one of the weaker ones they had faced, and then fled back to the room and rejoined the group claiming they had been trapped in a room and missed it. Alya gave her a knowing look but Marinette ignored it, she too much to think about on the way home.

The trip had ended early because of the akuma attack and they had been sent home upon returning to Paris. The entire time Marinette had been thinking about the revelation that the boy she loved was the flirtatious Cat Noir. It meant that Adrien liked her, or he at least liked the Ladybug part of her. It had to mean he liked her as well though, didn't it? She wouldn't have been chosen as Ladybug had she not been the right person for the responsibility of the Ladybug Miraculous. Tikki had told her as much countless times in the past. Hoping that that would be the case Marinette decided to finally come clean to Adrien about her feelings and then take the next step in their relationship. She was at last confident that he would reciprocate her feelings at last.

A second knock and a nudge from Tikki snapped Marinette out of her stupor and she blushed a little from the embarrassment of her thoughts. Bending down she unlocked the trap door and a moment later Adrien Agreste stood in her room. She hadn't bothered to take down the photos of him, it was time to confess her feelings for Adrien and the posters were part of her feelings for him. He smiled at her as she closed the trap door, locked it, and then turned to look at him.

He looked as he always did, calm, confident and handsome. She had to hold back her blush and nerves, she was Ladybug for a reason after all and it was time for her to be Ladybug around Adrien. As soon as the door was closed a black catlike kwami flew out of Adrien's jacket and hovered next to Adrien while Tikki came over to join her.

"Well…" Adrien said with a slight blush and a nervous smile. Marinette had never seen him look so awkward and it was so cute at the same time that she blushed as well.

"Yeah." Was all Marinette was able to reply. "I, I guess there's no denying what we both saw today."

"Not really." Adrien confirmed before gesturing to his kwami. "This is Plagg, my kwami by the way."

"Tikki." Marinette said pointing at her own kwami.

"Wow kid you could cut the awkwardness in this room with a knife." Plagg said with a laugh as he zoomed away and saw the pictures. Marinette groaned at the look of evil delight on the little kwami's face. "Of course, these pictures of you, including that great head shot of you in a silver frame on her desk, just adds to the awkwardness."

Adrien turned and saw all the pictures of him, looking over them with a critical eye. Turning back to Marinette he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why do you have so many pictures of me?" Adrien asked with a cheeky smile. "You know you could have just asked for an autograph if you wanted one from me."

Marinette just slapped her forehead with her palm. Judging by two identical, quieter, sounds she guessed that the kwamis had done the same. Seriously this boy was oblivious as fuck when it came down to her crush on him. She had to put him out of his oblivion once and for all and there was only one option she could think of.

"Think kid, why would a girl have pictures of you on her wall." Plagg said slowly, trying to lead Adrien to the answer.

"She's a fan?" Adrien asked with a cute, confused expression on his face.

That was it, Marinette couldn't take it anymore. In a moment of frustrated confidence, she walked over to Adrien, put her arms around his neck, got up on her tip toes and kissed him on the lips, hard. If he didn't get it now then she had no idea what would get through to him.

"Oh!" Adrien said as Marinette broke the kiss but stayed in the position they were in, Adrien had put his arms around her waist while she was kissing him and Marinette was far too comfortable to move.

"Adrien Agreste." Marinette said putting all her love for him into her voice as she looked into his eyes and fought the urge to lose herself in them. "I love you. I have loved you pretty much ever since you gave me the umbrella when you apologized to me for the gum incident. That is why I have your pictures on my walls."

"I think I get it now." Adrien said with a sheepish smile. "I guess I have been pretty blind haven't I."

"Blind!" Plagg exclaimed in a very overly dramatic fashion. "Kid, even blind people can see that this girl was in love with you."

"That being said." Tikki interjected. "Marinette didn't realize that Cat Noir was into her as Ladybug until she realized it as Marinette shortly before Glaciator attacked so your even."

"Wait so let me get this straight." Adrien said clearly the last person to come to the party. "Marinette likes me, Adrien who is also Cat Noir, I like Ladybug who is also Marinette and because we both didn't know each other's secret identities we didn't realize that we were in love with each other until Alya and Nino locked us in a room together coincidentally during an akuma attack thus forcing us to transform in front of each other to deal with it."

At Adrien's confession of love for her, Marinette went weak kneed. If her fingers weren't interlocked behind Adrien's neck then she was pretty sure she would have collapsed in front of him. She certainly stumbled a bit as Adrien tightened his hold around her to keep her up.

"Y-you love me?" She asked.

"Of course." Adrien said with a dazzling smile. "I have been in love with Ladybug ever since we met. I knew that I would love the girl behind the mask because she was the one who had been chosen to be Ladybug. So, I love you Marinette."

At this Marinette did collapse only to be held up in Adrien's strong arms. She was enjoying this moment of bliss so much that she almost missed what Adrien said next.

"Still why would Alya and Nino chose an akuma attack to lock us in a room together."

"Huh?" Marinette asked as she found her footing once more. "That is a good question, why would they do that other than to force me to admit my feeling for you, to you."

"I mean I know that Nino knew of my crush on Ladybug." Adrien said thoughtfully. "But he couldn't have known you were Ladybug, he's doesn't care that much about finding out our secret identities."

"True but it has been Alya's mission in life recently to discover who Ladybug is." Marinette said and then remembered that she had given Trixx to Alya recently. "Merde, that mischievous little kwami, if I ever meet him again I am going to wring his furry little neck. That's how she figured it all out."

"Er what?" Adrien asked and Marinette's eyes went wide as she realized that she had just dug herself in a hole that had only one way out. However, seeing as what Alya had just done to her, she felt like this was a little bit of payback and besides, Adrien already knew her secret and she knew his, he could be trusted with this.

"Alya is Rena Rouge." Marinette confessed. "I chose her as an ally when my lucky charm pointed me to Master Fu during the Sapotis akuma attack. My lucky charm wanted me to have another ally and Master Fu told me to pick a miraculous and someone I could trust with the power and responsibility of a miraculous and I chose Alya."

"That explains why you know her identity and why Alya was chosen." Adrien said without a hint of anger in his voice and Marinette relaxed, not realizing how tense she was.

"Yeah I trust her with the power and the secret." Marinette said. "And of course, I am now trusting you with it."

"Bugaboo, seeing as we know each other's secrets you know that you can trust me." Adrien said with a light kiss on her forehead that caused Marinette to blush and for once not role her eyes at the pet name, it now took a new meaning when said by Adrien.

"True." Marinette said. "Well the other day I persuaded Master Fu to allow Alya to keep the Fox Miraculous and its kwami, a mischievous thing called Trixx, on the condition that she only transform when I tell her that we need her. That was yesterday. It seems that she has already grilled that kwami for information and he has confirmed that there have been multiple Ladybugs over history. Once Alya learned that, her investigative skills as a blogger would have led her to realizing that I am Ladybug, she has all the other evidence to confirm it. The age thing was what keep me one step ahead of her."

"And as Nino's girlfriend she would know of my crush on Ladybug and wouldn't have told you because of your crush on me and her not knowing that you are Ladybug." Adrien said as he caught up with Marinette's train of thought. "But once she learned that you were Ladybug, or at least suspected it, she would have felt obligated to repay you by forcing you to reveal yourself to me so that I finally realized I was in love with you as much as you were in love me."

"And the only way she could do that would be to lock us in a room when she knew that there was going to be an akuma attack, not hard when we are in a class with Chloe, so that way I would be forced to transform in front of you." Marinette said. "Thus revealing my secret to you and making you realize you loved me. Cunning, sneaky, certainly something worthy of a fox. Defiantly the right miraculous for her."

"Definitely the right miraculous for her. She also did this without realizing that by doing so I would reveal myself as Cat Noir to you." Adrien said. "So, she has no idea about that."

"Give her time, she will find it out." Marinette said with a smile. "Now that she knows about me she will turn her attention to figuring out who Cat Noir is, though you didn't drop a history book only our class uses so she has a large suspect pool to work with. Don't tell her, let her work in out herself."

"Of course, m'lady." Adrien said with a grin. "However, we do need to figure out a way to get our revenge on them for what they did. Not that I am complaining mind you, it's a matter of principle."

"Oh, we will and Alya will pay for all of this, despite the fact that it worked out so well." Marinette said with a smirk. "It can't go unpunished. However, revenge can wait. We have more important things to do right now."

Adrien just raised an eyebrow and smiled as Marinette raised herself up on her toes again and kissed him. This time it was slower, softer, more passionate. It was a kiss that she poured all her pent-up love and frustration in, the kiss she had fantasized about for a long time. At last she was with the love of her life, her revenge against Alya could wait, for now she had a lot of lost time to makeup, or more accurately make out with Adrien. Marinette fell back onto her heals pulling Adrien down with her as she lost herself in her blissful moment of triumph at finally getting the boy she loved, secrets and all.

 **The only thing to note is that I have never been to the Palace of Versailles so the room there likely doesn't exist. There is no suggested prompt for next week, though I do have my own just in case there are no suggestions between now and then. Keep the prompts coming and keep letting me know how you are finding this series in reviews and PMs. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	11. Dreams

**Here is the 11th oneshot in Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggest after last week's chapter by the same fan who suggested 'Sick' and 'Memory' (the site won't let me add the fan's username). Keep the prompts coming, I already have fun prompts for the next 2 weeks to work on and I am hoping for more. Once again this is going to be a long, detailed prompt but some concepts are complex and need a little more to lay the groundwork for the revelation as I like to properly set up the revelation as thoroughly as possible. Due to the nature of this prompt it will be more back and forth than usual and may be a little confusing at first but it is essential to make the prompt work. I am also using a fan concept in this prompt, something I rarely do, but it is needed to make this prompt work. This is also a good test for a planned chapter in my current summer project 'A Magical Summer in New York' that will also be set in a similar place. Anyway enough rambling, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Dreams.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Dreams** **\- Marinette's latest dream about her and Adrien was different from her usual dreams. This time it was so vivid and memorable that it felt real. As with all her dreams Marinette is able to confess her feelings and ultimately her deepest secret to Adrien in her dream. What Marinette did not know was that the same dream happened to Adrien. Over the next few nights the pair keep sharing the same dreams, sometimes as civilians, sometimes as superheros, and neither think anything of it. However when stuff said in the dream appears in real life the next day, how will they react? What do the dreams mean and is there more to their miraculouses than they initially thought? Only their kwamis know and they are to afraid to tell for fear of what revelations might occur if Adrien and Marinette knew the truth.  
**

* * *

 **Dreams**

Marinette lay in bed as she slowly drifted off to sleep. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Classes had been boring, then when she got home there had been homework, helping her family in the bakery. To cap the day off there had been the obligatory Chloe created akuma attack to deal with. Now she was just glad to be in bed and welcomed the sweet release of sleep.

As was often the case, Marinette's dreams revolved around a certain blond-haired teen model. Her love for Adrien was deep, deeper than she was willing to admit to herself, and as such she often found herself dreaming about him. Dreams where she could be truly herself around him without the usual stuttering, or blushing, or falling flat on her face at his feet. She could finally say all the things she wanted to say to him but couldn't in real life that she was too afraid to tell him for fear of rejection. In her dreams she could finally confess her feelings for Adrien. After all, dreams weren't real.

Tonight, however, was a little different than her usual dreams. Usually Marinette dreamed about them talking or walking around Paris holding hands or sometimes working on a fashion piece of hers that he was going to model. These dreams were always fuzzy and she struggled to remember them when she woke up in confusion wishing the dreams were real. Tonight however it was much clearer. She could see the colors and details of the dream in a way that she had never seen before. Hell she could even hear and smell things, both of which were unheard of in her dreams. This dream was so close to reality that if Marinette didn't already know that the current situation she was in could only occur in a dream she would have sworn that it was real. Waking up was going to be a bitch.

Marinette was alone in a ballroom with Adrien right in front of her. Soft music played from nowhere and everywhere at the same time and Marinette recognized the song immediately, it was the same song that had been playing at Chloe's party when she had enjoyed that amazing slow dance with him. After that dance the song had been seared into her brain permanently because of what it meant to her. It was one of her favorite memories of Adrien and apparently her subconscious had decided to use it with a formal twist.

Marinette was dressed in a flowing red ball gown that she recognized as being of her own creation, though the style was not her own creation. The blood red dress had black dots on it, apparently her subconscious had decided to remind her that she was Ladybug. Adrien on the other hand was dressed in an all-black suit, matching shirt, and with a bell at his collar rather than a bow tie or tie. It looked just like Cat Noir. Marinette didn't care though, she was currently resting her head in his chest, her arms around his neck, his around her waist, enjoying the moment. Adrien even smelled the way he did everyday and it took every ounce of Marinette's willpower to not inhale deeply at the scent. Then the song ended and she took a step back, not breaking her hold on Adrien, and looked into his deep green eyes that for some reason looked a lot like Cat Noir's.

"Adrien, there's something I have to tell you." Marinette said emboldened by the fact that she knew she was in a dream and could confess her feelings for him without fear. "I, I love you."

* * *

Adrien was a little confused. He had fallen asleep, right after getting home from defeating the latest akuma that was caused by Chloe, dreaming of Ladybug. Adrien almost always dreamed of her. It was always Ladybug, never who she was or might be as he still didn't know her identity. Sometimes he was himself around her, sometimes he was Cat Noir. In most dreams he would confess his feelings for her in various different situations and she would reciprocate them. He knew that he loved her from the moment they met and he didn't care who was under the mask, she was Ladybug and whoever that girl was under the mask, was the love of his life.

Tonight, however, after he had drifted off to sleep dreaming of Ladybug he had found himself in a very vivid dream that both felt real and like it was not his, he never dreamed of dancing with Ladybug. But that was what he was doing. He was in a large ballroom, alone with his Lady while music he recognized from Chloe's party played softly and slowly in the background. However when he looked down, Adrien realized that he was not dancing with Ladybug. He was dancing with Marinette just like he had at Chloe's party.

Marinette looked gorgeous tonight. She wore a blood red ball gown of a cut that he had never seen before making him wonder if it was one of her own designs. The ball gown had black spots all over it, just like Ladybug, and Adrien felt that that was not a coincidence. That was very weird but then again for some reason he had Cat Noir's bell around his neck. Adrien decided chalked it up to being in a dream and his subconscious having some fun with him.

Still it was a pleasant dream. He had enjoyed his dance with Marinette at Chloe's party and he enjoyed his dream dance with her now. Once the song ended Marinette pulled back and looked at him. Adrien looked down at her and almost did a double take, her bluebell eyes were almost identical to those of Ladybug. That was odd, he had never really noticed Marinette's eyes before but the more he looked into them them more he was reminded of Ladybug.

"Adrien, there's something I have to tell you." Marinette said in a much more confident voice than he had heard her use before. It was almost like Ladybug was speaking to him. "I, I love you."

Merde. This was awkward and it wasn't even real, it was a dream. Adrien liked Marinette as a friend but he had never seen her as anything more, he only had eyes for one girl in Paris. Ladybug. He was going to have to break it to her gently.

"Marinette, I like you a lot." Adrien said softly as he looked at her and saw the fear creep into her eyes. "But you are just a good friend to me, I, I love someone else."

* * *

That was certainly different from past dreams. Marinette was used to Dream Adrien reciprocating her feelings, however this dream's Adrien had just told her he loved someone else. It hurt, a lot, but Marinette knew it wasn't real so she wouldn't let her get to her that much. It did add to her desire to never tell Adrien the truth of her feelings for him. However, seeing as this was just a dream she could try to find out who Dream Adrien loved, and remove said girl from future dreams.

"Who?" She asked with a quiver of fear in her voice as she hoped the answer wasn't Chloe.

"Ladybug."

Marinette's mouth fell open. To say that she was shocked at that revelation would be an understatement. She had seldom interacted with Adrien as Ladybug as he was seldom around when she was transformed and when they had interacted she had been to overwhelmed by her own crush for him that this was news to her. Still it was both joyous and frustrating as fuck. Adrien loved her and yet didn't know he loved her at the same time. Well this was a dream, he would never know in real life so she might as well tell him the truth. It couldn't do any harm here and it would probably make this realistic dream even better.

"Well today is your lucky day." Marinette said putting on a coy smile. "Because I made this dress design for a reason, I am Ladybug."

* * *

Adrien just gawked at Marinette's words. She was Ladybug! How could that be. Yes, she looked like his love, more so than he had ever realized, and the dress wasn't precisely subtle but still it was hard to believe. He needed her to prove it to him, he couldn't believe her outright.

"C-can you prove it." Adrien said still struggling to believe his ears.

"I can tell you anything about Ladybug." Marinette said with a smile. "So ask me a question only she would know."

Adrien couldn't see any deception in her eyes but still he had to ask a question to be sure. He thought for a moment then he smiled as he realized he had the perfect question for her. One that only Ladybug would know and one that would allow him to reveal his secret to her in his dream at the same time.

"What is one of the two pet names that Cat Noir uses for Ladybug?" Adrien asked with a sly smile.

* * *

Now that was an odd question. Marinette had been expecting her to tell a story of how she had saved him from an akuma attack, not tell her something only she and Cat Noir knew. That was certainly an odd request and caused her to raise an eyebrow at Adrien. She had no idea why Adrien would ask something like that.

"And why would you know that?" Marinette asked back. "Only myself and Cat Noir know those names."

"I just do." Adrien said with an infuriatingly cute smile. "Indulge me, I know the answer."

"Fine." Marinette said deciding that because it was a dream so she would indulge her subconscious. "One of the two pet names that Cat Noir uses for me is bugaboo." Marinette said.

* * *

Adrien smiled. Marinette was indeed Ladybug. Only he and Ladybug knew of the two pet names he used for her. This meant that he had been in love with Marinette all along and hadn't known it. Shame all of this was just a dream or else he would not have only found his lady but learned that she reciprocated his feelings for her. Time to confirm why he knew that was the right answer.

"Correct, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile.

* * *

Marinette's mouth fell open. This may be a dream but it still shocked her to hear Adrien speak the other pet name Cat Noir had for her. This meant that Adrien was Cat Noir, in the dream that is, and would explain the theme to Dream Adrien's outfit tonight. She had to admit he did look very good in black.

"Cat Noir?" Marinette asked to confirm her theory. It may be a dream but still it was something she had to ask.

"Yes." Adrien said with a dazzling grin that made her knees week. "Now that that is out of the way I can finally do something I have been waiting a long time to do."

With that Adrien leaned down towards her. Marinette instantly knew what he wanted to do and raised her head to meet him, she had been waiting a long time for this as well. Just as her lips were about to meet his, her alarm clock went off waking her up from the amazing dream she was having.

With a jolt Marinette shot bolt upright in bed her eyes wide, her breathing heavy and drenched in sweat. She hadn't realized that Tikki had been hovering over her to make sure she woke up in time for school and she accidentally headbutted her innocent kwami at full speed, sending a shocked Tikki into the nearest wall with a painful thud.

"Merde, sorry Tikki." Marinette said as she realized what she had done.

"It's ok." Tikki said clearly a bit dazed from the impacts as Marinette turned off her alarm. "Seems like you had some dream. Let me guess, it had something to do with Adrien, again."

"Yeah it was so vivid." Marinette said rubbing her head, both because of the dream and from headbutting her kwami. "I have never had a dream that vivid, ever. It was like Adrien and I were together while awake. I remember everything that happened as if it had happened for real. I can still feel the touch of his hands on my waist and smell the scent of his cologne. It was magical until that fucking alarm woke me up."

"You had a vivid dream about Adrien?" Tikki asked her eyes wide clearly worried.

"Yeah." Marinette said with a contented sigh as she fell back onto her pillows. "But it ended right as he was about to kiss me. It was the best dream ever."

"What happened?" Tikki asked still worried.

"We were dancing, then I told him I loved him, he told me he loved Ladybug so I told him I was Ladybug and he confirmed it by having me answer a question that not only proved who I was but also proved he was Cat Noir." Marinette said as she remembered the dream with a smile. "It is a shame that it wasn't real, it was so perfect. Oh well, time for school."

"Yes shame it wasn't real." Tikki muttered as Marinette got out of bed, not hearing the concerned tone in her kwami's voice.

* * *

Adrien said up in bed gasping as his alarm went off. That had been the most vivid dream of his life. He could still feel Marinette in his arms, hear the music of the song that had been playing, smell the scent of fresh bread that was uniquely Marinette's and remember the words she had said to him.

"You look like you had a nightmare." Plagg said as he idly floated over to Adrien eating a piece of cheese.

"More like a dream so vivid I thought it was real for a moment." Adrien said shaking his head as he tried to clear the vestiges of the dream from his mind.

"Wait, what?" Plagg asked dropping the cheese. "Tell me what happened, did you finally have the cheese dream? I have it every night but I've been waiting for you to have it as well, everyone should have the cheese dream."

"What no a cheese dream is just weird, it was about Marinette and Ladybug." Adrien said confused before he got out of bed and got ready for school as he told Plagg about the dream.

"Shame it wasn't real." Adrien said with a sigh when he was done telling Plagg about the dream. "Or else I would know who my lady is and that she loves me."

"Yes, shame that." Plagg whispered but Adrien didn't hear the worry in his kwami's voice.

* * *

The day was long and dull. Adrien couldn't get the dream out of his mind and it seemed that Marinette was concerned about something as well as she was constantly distracted and more clumsy than usual. It had been weird but it was still a dream and Adrien pushed it to the back of his mind as he concentrated on school and all his extra circulars that day.

There was no akuma attack that day or scheduled patrol that night so when Adrien got home he did his homework, practiced his piano and played a few video games before going to bed. By this point the vivid dream from the night before had been forgotten as he once again drifted off to sleep thinking of Ladybug.

Once again however, Adrien found himself in a dream that felt to detailed to be normal. This time however Adrien was atop a roof with candles all around him, a table for two in the center, also candlelit, and a romantic dinner already prepared on the table. Adrien could swear that he could smell the food, hear the light romantic music coming from somewhere and see everything in detail as if he was actually there. That detail included Ladybug sitting across from him in full costume. That was when he realized he was dressed as Cat Noir. This was exactly has he had planned it when Ladybug had stood him up a while back. This was starting to get a little weird.

"Ladybug, thank you for joining me tonight." Adrien said as he remembered the dream from the night before and decided to test it given that this dream seemed a lot like the last one. "Or would you prefer that I call you Marinette."

* * *

School had been the usual for Marinette. At first she couldn't get the dream out of her head and even told Alya about it, minus the Ladybug and Cat Noir stuff. Alya had just said that it was a normal dream and that sometimes dreams can be very realistic and not to worry about it. So that was what Marinette had done and tried to forget about it.

The rest of the day had passed by without incident. There wasn't an akuma attack, Marinette stalked Adrien a bit as usual, and she got all her homework plus some designs done. All in all it had been an uneventful day. Marinette was glad, she had needed a break from the usual chaos that her life had become since she had been chosen to be Ladybug.

Now though, it was time for bed. She changed, kissed the posters of Adrien she had while Tikki just shook her little head at Marinette's actions, and got into bed. Despite not doing anything exerting that day, Marinette was so behind on sleep that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, once again dreaming of Adrien.

This time her dream took her to a rooftop that she recognized from that time Cat Noir had tried to ask Ladybug out but she hadn't shown. She had seen it as Marinette instead and it was that day that she had realized that Cat Noir had feelings for Ladybug, it was shame Cat Noir wasn't Adrien as he had been in her dream last night as that would mean that Adrien did have feelings for her. Speaking of the devil, Cat Noir was sitting across the table from her grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Looking down Marinette realized that she was also in costume. Tonight she was Ladybug. Once again, the dream felt too vivid to be a dream but she knew it was still just a dream. That was when Cat Noir spoke.

"Ladybug, thank you for joining me tonight." He said as she remembered the dream from the night before. "Or would you prefer that I call you Marinette."

That stunned her. How did he know? Were the dreams connected? Marinette realized there was only one way to test that theory.

"You can." She said. "Adrien."

* * *

Well that confirmed it. The dreams seemed to be connected for some reason. Adrien decided that it was just his subconscious mind deciding that it would be easier to assume that while dreaming Marinette was Ladybug and vice versa. It made everything easier and this way he knew that she liked him too.

"Correct as always, bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile. "So can I serve my lady her dinner."

"So long as this is our second date." Marinette said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Adrien said pleased to see that she agreed with him, it was definitely his subconscious deciding that this was what would happen.

The rest of the night was spent talking about anything and everything. Now that Dream Ladybug had revealed herself to Adrien and he had revealed himself to her there was nothing that was off the table as they talked. It was a relaxing, fun, romantic date as the pair talked and held hands the entire night. It was exactly as Adrien had hoped a date with Ladybug would be. After dinner Adrien had led Marinette to the railing so that they could look at the starry night together, his arm around her waist while her head rested on his shoulder as they enjoyed the peace. He had never felt this way around a girl before and Adrien was not looking forward to waking up from this dream.

* * *

Marinette had a magical night in her dream date with Adrien. She hadn't blushed once around him, except when he complemented her but what girl wouldn't when the love of their life compliments her. She had been open with him and Dream Adrien had been open to her. It was a shame that it wasn't real as this was what she had always wanted with Adrien but she doubted that what they talked about was the truth, just her subconscious imagination filling in the gaps. It was a shame but seeing as Marinette didn't expect this to ever be real she was going to enjoy the dream as much as possible.

The dinner had been so realistic. Marinette could have sworn that she could smell and taste the food, felt his hand in hers through their costumes, and then later on her waist as they stared out across the dream Paris and the dream stars. Marinette was not looking forward to waking up.

Again the dream ended as the sun began to rise in the horizon and Adrien leaned in to kiss her. Once again just as her lips were about to meet his, her phone alarm went off.

This time Marinette did not sit bolt upright, and Tikki was a safe distance away, but she did almost throw her phone across the room for waking her at the good part, again. It had once again ruined yet another perfect dream. Like the night before the dream had felt so real, she could remember every detail of it, so much so that the dreams felt like they were connected. Marinette decided that it was her dream fantasies evolving and would go along with it if it happened again. After all there was no point in messing with a good thing.

"I need to get to bed earlier." Marinette grumbled to Tikki as she got out of bed to begin her morning routine. "Once again I was woken just as Adrien was about to kiss me."

"Was it as vivid as the last one?" Tikki asked clearly worried for some reason but Marinette was too busy thinking of Adrien to care.

"Yeah it was." Marinette said with a wistful smile. "I hope it happens again."

Marinette didn't notice the concerned look that Tikki had as she got ready for school. It was time to get ready for another day.

* * *

Adrien once again groaned as he woke up from the vivid dream he had been having right as it was getting good. He had been about to kiss Marinette, Ladybug, but his alarm had gone off waking him up. Whatever dream series his sleeping brain had decided to treat him too, Adrien wasn't going to complain. These may be dreams and not real but they were still as close to reality as a dream could get. Besides in real life Ladybug didn't seem to notice his feelings for her so this was the only way he could be with her the way he wanted to be.

"Another near real dream?" Plagg asked for some reason sounding concerned as he floated over with his usual breakfast cheese piece.

"Yup." Adrien said as he got out of bed and began to get ready for school. "And again ruined at the last moment. Oh well, hopefully it happens again tonight."

Adrien was too busy getting ready and lost in his own happy thoughts about the dream to notice the worried look on his usually happy and mischievous kwami's face or hear the tone of Plagg's voice. Adrien just wanted to get through another day without incident so that he could go to sleep again and hopefully have yet another realistic dream with the girl he loved.

* * *

Marinette was eager to get to bed when night came. After 2 weird dream dates with Adrien she was eager for a third. It may not be real but she didn't care, it was the only place where she could be confident around her crush. She knew she would have to address it at some point but for now she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

The day had been uneventful again except for an akuma attack during lunch that for once wasn't caused by Chloe's actions. Marinette wasn't as tired as usual but she knew that as soon as she was in bed she would be out. She was right.

This time as soon as her head hit the pillow her dream coalesced into her family's bakery. She found her dream self kneading some bread for a fresh batch of cookies when she felt someone's arms encircle her from behind, helping her knead the bread in her hands. She didn't have to look to know that it was Adrien holding her from behind.

"I guess this is our third date." He whispered into her ear just before he gave her a light kiss on the cheek that caused her whole cheek to burn red and her body to shiver in pleasure.

"I guess it is." Marinette said with a sigh leaning back into Adrien's strong arms. "And I couldn't ask for a better date than you helping me in the bakery."

"What are we making?" Adrien asked. "Cos, you know I am terrible with anything related to cooking."

"Don't worry I will go through this step by step with you." Marinette said with a smile. "It is a date I have always dreamed of having with you, well this is a dream so no wonder I am having it now but that's not relevant at the moment. I was thinking that we make some simple chocolate chip cookies. I made some just before bed to surprise everyone in class tomorrow so I guess the idea was fresh in my mind."

"Cookies it is then." Adrien said. "Though they won't be as sweet as you, m'lady."

Marinette shivered at Adrien's words. It was definitely a continuation of the dreams from the last two nights but she didn't care. All this may not be real, it all may be a damn dream but Marinette was going to enjoy it as long as possible. The rest of the dream was spent baking the cookies as Marinette showed Adrien how to make them and how the bakery worked. It was a fun and practical dream date that allowed her to show off one of her skills to Dream Adrien. While not as romantic as the last two, it was still very fun.

"I wish this was real." Marinette whispered to Adrien as he help her close at the end of the night. The cookies were in the oven so now it was just a matter of waiting.

"Same here." Dream Adrien whispered back to her. "But I don't have the courage to ask you out in real life."

"And I would never have the guts to admit to you that I love you outside of a dream." Marinette admitted with a sigh as she rested her head on his chest.

"Well we have here." Adrien said as he cupped her cheek and lowered his head to hers again. Naturally that was the moment Marinette's phone decided to go off and wake her up.

* * *

Adrien's alarm went off just as he was about to finally kiss Marinette, again, waking him up and ending the dream. It had been the third night in a row that he had had a realistic dream date with Marinette, his dream's Ladybug. This one had felt like she had been the one to choose the location of the date as it was at her parents' bakery and they were out of costume, neither of which he would normally chose but Adrien decided that it must be part of the the dream series that Dream Marinette would chose some dates and his dream self would chose others. It had been a fun date, though even odder than usual. This time Marinette had spoken about plans for today and had wished it was real. Adrien had decided that his brain was making it even more realistic for him for some reason. Whatever that reason was he wasn't going to question it if the dreams kept happening.

Adrien went about his morning routine, ignoring Plagg's worries about the dreams he had been having, and after a light breakfast got into the car and went to school. It was time for another day of the usual schedule his father had planned out for him.

That usual schedule was shattered when he walked into class and smelt freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Confused as he remembered what Marinette had said in his dream the night before Adrien found the source of the smell to unsurprisingly be Marinette's desk. She had a box of fresh cookies as she had said the night before. Life was officially weird now, well weirder than it normally was.

"Adrien, w-would you l-like a cookie." Marinette said with a blush and a stutter as Adrien approached the desk. In their dream dates Marinette had admitted that this behavior had been because of her massive crush on him but he still thought that it had been a figment of his imagination to justify Ladybug liking him.

"Thank you, Marinette." Adrien said as he picked up a fresh cookie and bit into it. It was warm, soft and gooey, just as a cookie should be, just as he would expect from Marinette. "Did you make these yourself?"

"Y-yeah I d-did." Marinette said with a small smile. "I made them last night before I went to sleep to surprise everyone today."

"They're delicious." Adrien said with a smile as he began to take out his books for class.

"T-thanks." Marinette said with a deep blush.

Before Adrien could say anything Ms. Bustier had entered and called the class to order. Adrien sat down at his desk finishing his cookie and deep in thought. This was too much of a coincidence, right? Three straight nights of really vivid dreams with Marinette/Ladybug was one thing but for her to bring cookies in today, the same thing that she had admitted to making in the dream he had just had, that was too much for him. Adrien had to get to the bottom of this and he knew where to start. Plagg. His kwami had been oddly worried and interested in the recent dreams so when he got home he would grill his kwami for answers, fortunately Plagg was very easy to bribe and/or blackmail.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Adrien as he focused on the dreams he had had and what they might mean. He was still not going to believe that they were real or magical or really anything other than realistic dreams just yet, but the evidence was starting to pile up that they might be and after all the shit he had seen as Cat Noir there was very little that shocked Adrien these days. Finally fencing class came to an end and Adrien was driven home by his bodyguard. It was time to grill Plagg.

"Alright Plagg I have a few questions and you are going to give me answers." Adrien said as the door closed to his room ensuring that he would not be disturbed again that day and his kwami had flown out of his jacket. "I want the full truth and nothing but the truth."

"I'm innocent." Plagg said throwing his paws into the air in a sign of surrender at Adrien's words. "Whatever it is it wasn't me. I did not eat a month's supply of Camembert while you were in fencing."

"Er that was not what I was going to ask." Adrien said confused. "Wait you ate a month's supply in an hour?"

"No, forget I said that." Plagg said his eyes shifting around nervously in the air. "So what do you want to know?"

"Don't think you are out of the woods yet regarding the Camembert but first I need to know about the dreams of Ladybug and Marinette that I have been having over the last few nights." Adrien said looking at Plagg seriously. "They haven't been dreams have they. Or at least they haven't been normal dreams, right?"

"I, I, don't know what you are talking about." Plagg said clearly looking for a way out. The kwami was definitely hiding something.

"Plagg you are a terrible liar." Adrien said with a laugh. "So tell me the truth and I will forget about you pigging out today, I may even reward you with some really nice cheese, if you are being honest. So what do you say; give me the whole truth and nothing but the truth or lose Camembert privileges for a month seeing as you just ate a month's supply in a day."

"No don't take away my gooeyness." Plagg wailed dramatically. Adrien smiled, cheese was the easiest way to get anything out of his kwami. "I will tell you all you want to know about the nature of your recent dreams."

"Well, I'm waiting Plagg." Adrien said when Plagg hadn't said a word. "Why have I been having them?"

"It is a side effect of yours and Ladybug's miraculouses and is something unique to the original 2 miraculouses." Plagg said with a sigh clearly defeated and willing to answer Adrien's questions. "It has happened before but never this quickly. Basically you know how your miraculous represents the Yin to Ladybug's Yang."

"I know that is what they represent but Master Fu has been very vague on it." Adrien said with a nod. "Though what does confuse me is that the Black Cat Miraculous represents Yin and has historically been given to a male despite Yin representing females in some sense while the historically female Ladybug Miraculous represents Yang which represents males in some sense."

"That's because he doesn't know the miraculouses as well as I do." Plagg said simply. "The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses have always been mysterious to the Order of the Guardians due to their power and the duality that they represent. Back when the Guardian of Magic created the two original miraculouses and allowed me and the Ladybug kwami to interact with the world, he made sure that the miraculouses were always linked and in such a way that still the Order does not understand the connection. We are Yin and Yang for you cannot have creation without destruction and vice versa. It is why both of us have to be in circulation at the same time in order to be effective. As for the male and female stuff just ignore it as it stems from antiquated notions of the female gender being wicked and evil while the male one was pure and good, something that has been common in a lot of ancient cultures back before the world modernized. I honestly think the Guardian of Magic made it so that Ladybug was meant for a woman while I was meant for a man as a way to reject the sexist notions of Yin and Yang but I digress as it is not important to what you want to know."

"I think I get it." Adrien said when Plagg finally stopped talking and allowed Adrien to think about what his kwami had said. "But what does this have to do with the dreams I have been having lately?"

"I'm getting there." Plagg reproached before continuing his explanation. "As opposing forces, the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses are both equal and opposite of each other. One of the many dichotomies of life and part of the reason why I think they are meant to be given to someone of each gender. As such there are side effects that can occur between the holders of the miraculouses. While even I don't know all the side effects that can happen, I know that one of the most common ones that I have seen is the shared dreams side effect."

"Wait so you are telling me that I have been actually sharing dreams with Ladybug!" Adrien exclaimed. This would be huge if it was true but he was struggling to believe it.

"That would be correct." Plagg said with a nod. "Well dreams are a misnomer here. It is more a subconscious plain of existence that is similar to a dream but more real as you must have realized by now. As you said you recall all your senses from the dreams. You remember the smells, tastes, sights, sounds and touches from these dreams and you can remember the dreams better than a normal dream. They are also more vivid and realistic are they not. This is because you two have accidentally entered what is known as the Dreamscape. That is a realm where you are in full control of the dreams around you. Usually you need a special magical charm to enter into this realm and with said charm you can visit anyone's dreams but because of the magic of the miraculouses, combined with a certain emotion, you and Ladybug can enter it but only so much as it revolves around you two. You need the correct recipe of factors to achieve it. In my 5,000 years of having a physical form in this world and the many humans I have been paired with, this is the 7th time I have seen it occur, and by far the fasted it has happened."

"So what is required for this to be accomplished?" Adrien asked. He was confused at this but it was starting to make some sense, there were things he didn't understand about his miraculous but he knew better than to be surprised at this.

"Think back to the three dreams you have had so far." Plagg said. "What has triggered them, what has been the underlying theme of them."

"Well they have all been dates." Adrien said thinking back to the dreams. "And all began because I was thinking about Ladybug and how much I love her."

"Ding, ding, ding, give the kid a wheel of Camembert." Plagg said flying loops in the air as he spoke. "There's your answer right there."

"Isn't it supposed to a cookie?"

"Blah, cheese is vastly superior to cookies." Plagg said sticking his tongue out in disgust as he came to a stop.

"Whatever." Adrien said. "So you are saying that this is because of love?"

"Yup." Plagg said with a nod. "Personally I don't understand this sappy bullshit but every time this has occurred it has been because the miraculous holders have been in love with each other."

"But I don't know who Ladybug is." Adrien pointed out. "My dreams say it is Marinette because she admitted to it and proved it in the first dream but still I am confused as to why my dreams would show Ladybug's true form."

"Ah this is new even for me." Plagg said. "I believe it has something to do with the fact that Marinette loves you, Adrien and doesn't know you are Cat Noir, while you love Ladybug and don't know that she is Marinette. Normally when this happens the holders already know who the other is but this time you don't. Well until now that is."

"Wait so that means that Marinette is Ladybug?" Adrien asked shocked.

"She is, yes." Plagg confirmed with a single nod of his head. "I wouldn't normally confirm it but the dreams have done so and you know that the dreams are more than dreams. You weren't supposed to find out, certainly not this way, but your emotions decided to do it for you. Probably cos you're both teenagers but that is pure speculation. Anyway, all that you have seen and experienced in your dreams, at least words and secrets wise, has been real and has been Marinette and you sharing a single dream. The Marinette in your dreams is not a figment of your imagination but rather Marinette's dream conscious interacting with yours because of the connection you share via the miraculouses and your joint love of each other. Marinette would have had exactly the same dreams as you have had but from her perspective and not yours. She likely also thinks that they are normal dreams that just happen to be more realistic than usual."

"Oh." Was all Adrien could say as he digested Plagg's words.

He was shocked by this revelation but Plagg had been serious the entire time he had been explaining it and Plagg was only ever serious when he meant it or in involved cheese and this time it was both. Plus the evidence in class supported Plagg's claims. So, despite his shock Adrien decided to accept the news. Marinette was indeed his lady and his love.

The next problem was what to do about it. Adrien yawned and realized that he was exhausted. Deciding to get into bed and go to sleep, likely to see Marinette again, he decided he would test all he had learned today in his dream tonight. He would tell Marinette something he planned to do tomorrow and follow through on it, it wouldn't be hard seeing as his dad wanted him to wear something specific tomorrow for the sake of his fashion line. That way Marinette would realize that this was more than an ordinary dream as they likely both originally thought it was. Then tomorrow night when he was asleep he could talk to Dream Marinette about it if her kwami tells her the truth just as Plagg had told him. With that in mind Adrien smiled and fell asleep wondering where his dreams would take him tonight.

This time Adrien's dream took him to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was midnight, the stars were out and there was a picnic blanket set up with a bottle of red wine, a plate of cheese and crackers and a single blood red rose sat in the middle of the blanket. Ladybug was already there lying back, a glass of wine in her hand as she gestured for Adrien to join her. Now that he knew that it was actually a dreaming Marinette and not a figment of his imagination Adrien was even more willing to join her, she really did love him and he knew that he loved her back. The wine seemed a bit much given their age but it was a dream, they shouldn't be able to get drunk.

"Well kitty, it looks like tonight's date is a hero date." Marinette said with a coy smile as she took a sip of wine. "With wine."

"It's purrfect." Adrien purred as he joined her and poured himself a glass of wine. "Minus the Camembert, it's all my kwami eats so I am not a big fan of it."

"Oh well, this is a dream Adrien." Marinette said with a smile and Adrien smiled back, Marinette's words confirming that she thought she was in dream and that meant she was really here. "It doesn't matter what we eat and drink."

"True, m'lady, it doesn't" Adrien said as he spread some cheese on a cracker and fed it to Marinette. She gratefully accepted it with a slight blush but still managed to look a little seductive as she ate it.

"How was your day Marinette?" Adrien asked as he took a sip of the wine. It was good vintage, he could tell as his dad had made sure he could tell these things as part of his sophistication training.

"Oh the usual." Marinette said. "Classes were dull, no akumas to deal with, but my cookies were a hit."

"Yes they were." Adrien said with a nod and a subtle hint that there was more to the dream than she knew. "As good as all your baking is."

"My parents are bakers, what do you expect." Marinette said with a shrug. "What about you? Anything interesting?"

"Just the usual, same as you." Adrien said as he decided to put his plan into action. "Though dad does want me to wear part of his new teen line tomorrow to school."

"Really?" Marinette asked as she reached into the basket to pull out a bundle of grapes that had been there. "Why? You have never come to school in his designs before, well at least nothing new that is."

"True but dad has finally realized that there is a benefit to me being at a normal school." Adrien said with a hint of bitterness at his father's actions. "A financial benefit for him that is. If I model the clothes at school then I can find out if other kids would get them so he can now learn what the younger crowd is into, if it is a success then the design can go forward, if not then it goes right into the trash. That being said I am not so sure his latest creation is good."

"Why? What is it?" Marinette asked. "As you know design is my passion."

"Yeah and I wish you had designed this." Adrien said and Marinette blushed prettily at that. "It seems dad has decided to pay homage to the late, great, French fashion designer Christian Audigier and bring back Audigier's style from the 2000s."

"No, he wouldn't!" Marinette exclaimed, clearly she knew exactly what that style was. "That would be suicide. No one wears that shit anymore. Ed Hardy was popular in the 2000s but it fell out of vogue after it became a status symbol for criminals and it was only good because Hardy himself was a tattoo artist who created all the designs, Audigier himself couldn't replicate it when he tried to do so on his own after Hardy reclaimed the label. Besides, your father isn't a criminal, why would he bring it back. You look amazing in anything but that might be hard even for you to pull off."

"I don't know but he is trying it, though he is adding his own twist to the style to try and make it more acceptable." Adrien said with a slight blush at the complement. "No rhinestones thank god but there will be metal studs, a Death's-head hawkmoth so as to include a skull like design, albeit a small one. There will also be some writing as was common for the old Ed Hardy style. It will probably be something patriotic like Honor and Fatherland, written in Gothic writing on bands around the moth. All this on a black leather jacket. It will not be my style but dad is insistent. He wants to bring back the edgy style that Audigier had but not go all gaudy, flashy and extreme with it. He thinks it is the right time for a resurgence in the style."

"Well I doubt that." Marinette said shaking her head. "But then again what you are describing is very male, I assume there is a female line as well."

"Of course but that won't be modeled for a while and only if the jacket goes over well tomorrow." Adrien said. Now all he had to do was wear that jacket tomorrow, it was part of the upcoming line after all, and prove that this was more than a dream to Marinette without telling her, that was something she had to figure out on her own. "But enough shop talk, we have a very romantic picnic to enjoy."

The rest of the evening played out as usual. A romantic date where they talked, ate, drank and enjoyed each other and the young love they had for one another. As was becoming frustratingly normal, as the night turned to morning Adrien lent in to kiss Marinette at last but just as their lips were about to meet the alarm went off waking up right at his moment of triumph.

* * *

For the fourth straight morning Marinette hated her alarm for going of right as Adrien was about to kiss her in her dream. Once again, the dream have been so realistic that if she hadn't have known she was dreaming Marinette would have sworn it had been real. That was a shame as it had been such a romantic picnic that only Ladybug and Cat Noir could have enjoyed together. Of course Adrien wasn't Cat Noir in real life, that was just her imagination making him it so as to sort out the problem with her loving Adrien and Cat Noir loving her but it was still a very romantic night.

There was one thing about it that had nagged her though. How had dream Adrien known about how good the cookies had tasted? Only the kids in her class had known and while the real Adrien had known there was no way that Dream Adrien could have known. Marinette decided it was just part of her dream filling in stuff, that had happened before so it was the most logical answer to her. With that in mind Marinette got ready for school as she thought happily on the dream, wishing once more that it was real.

Marinette somehow managed to get to school before everyone else so she was one of the first people into the classroom before class started. Deciding to do a few designs she got out her design book and set to work as the class began to fill up. It wasn't until Alya had sat down next to her and nudged her that Marinette realized there was a buzz in the class and looked up only to do a double take at what was right in front of her eyes.

Adrien was standing with his back to her talking to Nino and the other guys in class as they complemented him on his new jacket. A jacket that Dream Adrien had described to her in precise detail the night before.

Adrien was wearing a black leather jacket with a Death's-head hawkmoth on the back. It was done in exquisite detail as was the style of Gabriel Agreste. Around the moth were silver studs evenly spaced in an artistic fashion and across each wing and then abdomen of the moth, leaving the death's head thing exposed, was a banner with Honor and Fatherland written on it, each wing having the first and last word respectively. It was a beautifully designed and tasteful jacket, though the moth theme was an odd choice as she had already ruled Gabriel Agreste out as a suspect for Hawk Moth but that was not the reason why Marinette's mouth was hanging open. No that was reserved for the fact that there should have been no way for her imagined Dream Adrien to describe something like that. The jacket fit her dream to a tee and there were far too many details for it to be a mere coincidence.

"Nice jacket Adrien." Alya said as she closed Marinette's mouth for her just as Adrien turned at her best friend's words.

"Thanks Alya." Adrien said as he headed over to his seat.

"Is it new?" Marinette asked. She had to know, the coincidence was almost too much for her handle.

"It is." Adrien said to her with a smile that always made Marinette blush. "It's from dad's upcoming edgy line for our age group. He's trying to bring the Audigier style back into vogue, though much more tastefully done than when Audigier tried his own variants on Hardy's designs, and what better way to do so then to have me model a prototype for people to see. Everything else is of course being kept well hidden and will only be made if this jacket is well received."

"So there is no way that anyone other than your father, his assistants, and you could know about it?" Marinette asked, her confusion at the whole thing preventing her from her usually stuttering around real life Adrien.

"Until today only me, my father and Nathalie knew about it." Adrien said with a smile and a twinkle in his green eyes that Marinette couldn't place. "Now y'all know it as well. It is a little flashy for my tastes but the guys seem to like it so hopefully there is a resurgence in the style as dad hopes there will be, minus the criminal association that is."

Marinette was about to open her mouth to comment on it when Ms. Bustier walked in and called the class to order to begin the lesson. Marinette was really confused. There was no way her mind could have known about a jacket like that so how had the Adrien in her dream known about it? She had a feeling that there might be miraculous magic afoot and decided that as soon as the day was over and she was back in her room she was going to confront Tikki about it. Her kwami would know and Tikki had been acting a little odd ever since the dreams had started. Marinette just had to get through the day first.

* * *

"Wait what?" Marinette asked aghast at what Tikki had just told her. "You're telling me that that was actually Adrien in my dreams and not just my imagination. It was him all along?"

"Only the vivid ones." Tikki said calmly. "Anything before 4 days ago was your imagination."

Her kwami had just explained to her the nature of the miraculouses when the holders were in love and how they could share dreams if their emotions of love were strong enough. Marinette's head was swimming at the news. It was hard to process it, mainly because it meant that not only was Adrien really Cat Noir as he claimed in the dreams but he was actually in love with her. However given what had happened today there was no other logical explanation for the results. Still, it was hard to believe and if Dream Adrien hadn't have perfectly described the jacket the night before she wouldn't have believed it.

"Ok so let me get this straight one more time." Marinette said more to get a track of her thoughts than anything else. "Adrien is Cat Noir and as Cat Noir he fell in love with me as Ladybug while I already loved him as Adrien. Therefore, when our love reached a certain level of depth the shared nature of our miraculouses allowed us to enter each other's dreams making them more realistic, talk with each other, and as a result reveal all these secrets without even realizing it because we thought we were in our own separate dreams. It only became apparent when things that were said in the dreams happened in real life. Am I right Tikki, or am I going crazy?"

"You are right Marinette." Tikki said with a kind smile. "You aren't going crazy. It happens from time to time as the connection between Ladybug and Cat Noir does often lead to love but never this quickly or in this unique love square manner. I wouldn't be surprised if Adrien already knew because of the cookie incident. As soon as you mentioned the vivid dreams I was worried about this but there isn't much we can do about it now. All of your secrets are out now between you two."

"Great so we now know each other's secret identities and that we love each other." Marinette said finally deciding to just accept this latest quirk of the miraculouses she and Adrien had. "What do I do now?"

"I would meet him again in your dreams and talk with him about it." Tikki said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Then figure it out from there."

"That is probably a good idea." Marinette said as she checked her clock, it was nowhere near time for bed. "But it is too early at the moment so I should try to get some homework done before then."

Marinette tried to get some work done but the entire time she was distracted by what she had just learned and what was to come that night. It was clear to her that Adrien had already figured it out given the jacket description last night and likely had shown her rather than tell her in a dream as she certainly wouldn't have believed him had it not been for said jacket today. Now she was going to confront him about it in their dreams tonight and from that point on she had no idea what to expect.

At last the time came for bed. Marinette changed and got into bed to go to sleep. She was tired but also worried about what was to come. Despite these worries she was asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

* * *

Unlike the last few nights where she had dreamt that she was on some romantic date with Adrien or Cat Noir depending on the night and likely who was in charge of the date given the switching between hero and civilian each nigh, this time her dream had taken her to the top of a skyscraper. Well it was more a scenario than a dream according to Tikki but to her they were all dreams. She was dressed normally, not as Ladybug. She only had to wait a moment before Adrien appeared right in front of her, also dressed in civilian clothes.

"Hey Marinette." He said with a smile and a wave. "I take it by the lack of a romantic date that your kwami explained the situation to you."

"She did." Marinette said, she was surprised she wasn't stuttering but she had been normal around Adrien the last few nights so she felt she could do it tonight even with the new knowledge that the Adrien in front of her was not a figment of her imagination but Adrien's dream form. "When did you figure it out?"

"The day you brought the cookies." Adrien said with a shrug. "So the day before you. I realized something was off so I grilled Plagg, that is my kwami, about it and threatened to take away his cheese if he didn't answer me. He caved as he only eats Camembert and can't live without it so he told me everything. It was hard to believe at first but I accepted it in the end as just another thing to do with our miraculouses. We don't truly understand them after all."

"True we don't." Marinette agreed with a nod. "And the jacket?"

"Oh that is real and dad did want me to wear it to school today, against my wishes mind you." Adrien said with a grimace. "I just thought that it would be the best way to show you what was going on by telling you about it in detail in the dream last night. That way you could ask your kwami about it when I showed up to school in the same jacket I had described to you. I didn't think you would believe me if I told you the truth last night, hell I still don't fully believe it but everything is checking out so far."

"Yeah I wouldn't have believed it last night if you had just told me." Marinette agreed. "I would have just thought it was my insecurities bleeding into the dream. Besides the date was too great to mess up."

"That it was." Adrien said with a genuine smile at her.

"But yeah the jacket worked." Marinette said bringing the conversation back on track. "It helped make me believe what Tikki told me when I got home from school and confronted her about it. She had been worried that this would happen and well it did. It is a lot to believe but I am willing to accept it."

"Same to everything." Adrien said. "And it could come in handy in the future."

"Speaking of the future, what should we do?" Marinette asked.

"I suggest we meet atop the school tomorrow before classes start." Adrien said. "That way we can confirm everything in real life once and for all, and then decide where to go from there. As far as I am concerned all this is real on some level but I think we need to meet tomorrow to both confirm it and sort it out."

"Agreed, all this is really weird and hard to believe but that sounds like a solid plan." Marinette said after a moment's thought. It was a tough decision to make but one she knew they had to make given everything that had happened. "What do you want to do until then?"

Adrien just smiled as he raised a hand to here. Out of nowhere music began to play. It was their song, the one they had shared a slow dance too at Chloe's party.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" Adrien asked with a bow.

"You may, kitty." Marinette giggled as she blushed a little at Adrien's words before taking his hand and he gave her hand a soft kiss on the back of it. The rest of the night was spent slowly dancing on the roof as they put off the inevitable until the following morning and just enjoyed the vivid dream world that their miraculouses had created for them.

* * *

Adrien stood atop the school the next morning as Cat Noir. He had asked to be taken to school an hour before the start of school so that he could be here to meet Marinette. He had set his alarm the night before so it ended his latest dream date with Marinette early, much to his annoyance but it couldn't be avoided. He was nervous about what was to come but he was also excited at the possibilities that could come from this meeting. Now it was 20 minutes before class started, he had been waiting 40 minutes for Marinette to arrive, the time to put all this to bed was near.

His enhanced hearing heard the light footfalls of someone landing on the roof and the sound of Ladybug's yo-yo reeling back to her. Adrien smiled, the time was upon them and he turned to see Ladybug walking nervously across the roof towards him.

"M'lady, you look as beautiful as ever." Adrien said to Ladybug causing her to blush in a very Marinette like fashion.

"You don't look too bad yourself kitty." Ladybug said in reply. "Though I personally prefer your civilian face, if the dreams are true that is."

"Then let us confirm what we already know." Adrien said taking a deep breath as the moment of truth was at hand. "Plagg, claws in."

"Tikki, spots off." Ladybug said and in a flash of red Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood in front of him smiling shyly. Above her shoulder a pink kwami with 3 black dots and bug like antennae floated looking at something over Adrien's shoulder that he assumed was Plagg.

"I see that our dreams were right after all." Adrien said happily as he approached Marinette but stopped an arms distance away. He was now nervous being so close to her after all that had happened in their dreams.

"They were." Marinette said shyly and happily. "So, what now Adrien?"

"Now I ask you to officially be my girlfriend." Adrien said as he tentatively took Marinette's hands in his. "We have been dream dating for almost a week, even if we didn't realize it at first."

"You want to become official?" Marinette asked as she looked at him, hope and fear dancing in her wide, bluebell eyes.

"I do." Adrien said smiling kindly at her as he said the words he had been wanting to say for a long time. "I love you Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with or without the mask and I would be honored if you would be my girlfriend."

"I love you too Adrien Agreste, Cat Noir." Marinette said a wide smile on her face, happiness dancing in her eyes. "Mask or no mask, puns and all. Of course I will be your girlfriend. I have been waiting so long for you to ask me and so long to tell you that I love you for real and not just in my dreams."

"You have made me one happy kitty." Adrien said still smiling at Marinette.

"What now?" Marinette asked him.

"Well now we have a lot of things to make up, bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile and Marinette blushed at his pet name, at last she was accepting them. "Or more accurately, make out."

Without waiting for a reply Adrien pulled her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers. She met his with equal enthusiasm as they finally kissed for the first time as boyfriend and girlfriend, lost in their special moment. As the moment deepened Adrien couldn't be happier. At last he had his lady, they were together and finally sharing that moment he had dreamed about for over a year. This time there were no pesky alarm clocks to ruin this moment. No that honor was reserved for the school bell.

 **Sorry that was so long and at times a little jumpy but it was needed to make this a good prompt and I believe in doing a thorough job with my oneshots as each is a separate story in their own right. Just to note the Yin Yang stuff was from Wikipedia and the Ed Hardy/Christian Audigier stuff is real. Audigier did try to make his own Gothic style after Hardy reclaimed the label and before he passed away in 2011 but it wasn't as artistic and way too heavy on the rhinestones. I am one of the few people who still wears and likes Ed Hardy and similar style clothes (and yes I can tell the difference, just about the only thing I can do in the fashion world) and I would like to see the style come back but accept that it is pretty much dead. That being said, I would never wear the jacket I have described in this oneshot as I prefer skulls to moths. Anyway enough fashion advice, next week's prompt has been decided and is based of a suggestion in a review though it was not for a specific event or scenario but a request for my first crossover. As such the actual core of the prompt is from one of my self generated prompts that involves a crossover but will be tailored to the suggestion. Keep the prompts coming as the more prompts I get, the longer this story lasts once the show does have the big reveal. Enough bold text, next week's chapter will be released on Friday and not Saturday as I will be unavailable Friday night and keep letting me know what you think in reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	12. Accent

**Here is the 12th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I am sorry that this is late. I could give the usual excuses of writers block as this was a challenging oneshot to write, the traveling I have been doing recently, and the length of this piece but they are just excuses. As my way to make up for my unprofessionalism in not adhering to my schedule I will be releasing a bonus oneshot this coming Wednesday from my own self created collection before the one that has been suggested for the usual time (which I will have by then). In addition I will in the post note release the title of the bonus oneshot, something I don't usually do. Anyway enough apologies. This week's oneshot was suggested by prietar after 'Memory' was released. Unlike other suggestions this one was purely for a crossover between Miraculous and the Percy Jackson universe with the rest up to me so I took one of my self generated prompts that was for a crossover oneshot and edited it to fit this kind of crossover. I must warn y'all that this was a hard oneshot to write and in my opinion might be the weakest of this series and not up to my usual standards and for that I apologize. Lastly, there will be references to all series from the Percy Jackson universe and will be set post 'Trials of Apollo' series (despite the series being unfinished) and as such there might be spoilers from the series as well as my own expectations on how it will all end. I have tried to keep out the major spoilers from 'The Burning Maze' and leave vague references instead but y'all have been warned. That's all for now, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Accent.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show or the Percy Jackson literary universe.**

* * *

 **Accent** **\- After surviving not one but three wars and living through horrors and trial no demigod should have to endure, Percy finally proposed to Annabeth. Naturally she accepted and as part of their extensive wedding present from Aphrodite they were sent to Paris with all expenses paid and a promise of no monsters. However, they run into the problem that has been affecting Paris for almost 2 years, akumas. After mistaking it for a monster and encountering Ladybug and Cat Noir, Percy and Annabeth are forced to explain to the Parisian teens who they are and what they can do. The only common language between them all is English, something neither hero of Paris has heard the other speak. When Cat Noir's enhanced hearing matches Ladybug's accented English to someone he knows, he has to try and confirm who his lady is. All this because they ran into two strange American teens with swords.  
**

* * *

 **Accent**

Percy and Annabeth walked hand in hand along the River Seine just as they had done on their one month anniversary two years ago. Now though they walked together as newlyweds enjoying their honeymoon in the city of love and a much needed break from their dangerous lives as demigods. It was something they both had never thought they would live to see but somehow, through everything they had faced, they had survived.

After all that had happened in the last 6 years, first with the Titan war, then the war with Gaia, and finally dealing with the Triumvirate of near godly, evil, Roman Emperors, and all the friends who they had lost along the way, they could finally have a moment of peace and stability before the next deadly catastrophe struck them. Percy knew that it wasn't normal for 18 year olds to get married as soon as they were legally allowed to be married but they weren't normal teens, they were demigods. Demigods who had saved the world multiple times and should have died a hundred times already, and that was just while they had been in Tartarus, and hadn't.

The life expectancy of a demigod, especially a child of an Olympian and even more so a child of one of the Big 3, was normally no longer that 18 and that was if they were lucky. Percy and Annabeth had been lucky where many others had not been so lucky, including some close friends. That was why, after the Emperors had been defeated, Percy had proposed to Annabeth at Camp Half-Blood in front of all the other campers in the middle of the dinning pavilion. They had known that they would be together forever after the Hera incident. After all that they had gone through nothing was going to get between them, the proposal was just to make it official. Of course they had to go through their godly parents who hated each other to achieve it and Percy still shivered at the memory of asking Athena for her daughter's hand in marriage and what she had put him through. However, in the end and despite a reluctance from Athena, Aphrodite had threatened all out war with the gods if anyone got in the way of her favorite couple's love.

It had been the love goddess who had planned the wedding, ignoring input from everyone and making sure that it was the best demigod wedding of the century. All anyone else could do was sit back and let Aphrodite be Aphrodite. She had allowed Athena to weave the tapestries so long as they depicted the couple, Poseidon had been allowed to provide the seafood so long as it was the best and the couple had been allowed to do the guest list. Everything else related to the wedding was all Aphrodite.

To say that the goddess outdid herself on the wedding would have been an understatement. It was held on the beach at Camp Half-Blood with Hymen, the god of marriage himself, presiding over the ceremony. All other minor gods who could be used were used. The 9 muses were present and Apollo had personally set up the music for the day while Hermes arranged all the travel to Camp Half-Blood. Zeus had agreed to lift some of the protections so that certain knowing mortals and non Greek or Roman demigods could attend.

Pretty much all of those who knew Percy and Annabeth from Camps Half-Blood and Jupiter, along with the Kane siblings, Annabeth's cousin Magnus and his girlfriend Alex had also shown up from Valhalla. Magnus's sword Jack flirting shamelessly with any female weapons he could find and reminiscing with Apollo about a bar night the Sun God had apparently had with his old master Frey, a story that Percy was sure Apollo wanted to forget given the god's dislike of talking weapons.

In addition, all the gods had been invited and most showed with the exceptions of Zeus, Hera, Ares, Artemis, and Hades for the obvious reasons that all but Artemis hated either Percy or Annabeth, Artemis just didn't approve of weddings but what else could be expected from the most sexist goddess. That being said, Percy was sure that Dionysus only showed because of the party and the wine that Aphrodite had made him provide for it and gotten an exemption from Zeus to allow him to drink it. Percy had never seen Dionysus drunk and frankly he never wanted to see it, or the god's naked body, again.

Annabeth had looked stunning as she was led down the aisle by her father wearing a handmade, white silk, wedding dress that had apparently taken 3 days of dress fittings with Aphrodite to produce. Percy himself stood at the alter in a deep blue tux with Grover, his best man, Tyson, Frank and Leo all matching next to him. Annabeth's Maid of Honor, and Artemis's formal representative, had been Thalia who had been forced into a sheer silver dress that was shredded as soon as the wedding was over but not after all the pictures had been taken. Other than her, Piper, Hazel, and Clarisse had been bridesmaids, the latter as uncomfortable in a dress as Thalia. That dress also suffered the same fate as Thalia's

It was a simple ceremony done in the traditional Ancient Greek fashion, with the right documents to make it legal under New York law, and right after the reception Aphrodite had presented them with their actual wedding present as the wedding had been Aphrodite's pet project and not the actual gift. The goddess had arranged for them to spend a month in Paris, with all expenses paid by the Olympians. They were to stay in the honeymoon suite at the Grand Paris Hotel, the finest hotel in town, and had an Olympus Express Card issued to them for their private use while in the city and the newlyweds had decided to use it to get gifts for everyone close to them while they were in Paris. Finally, Hecate had promised to mask their scents with the strongest mist she could produce so as to ensure that no monsters would bother them while they were enjoying their honeymoon.

Of course, in classic Aphrodite fashion, she had forgotten to mention that the daughter of the hotel's owner, who also happened to be the mayor of Paris, was a complete brat and might actually be her daughter seeing as Percy and Annabeth had yet to meet Chloe Bourgeois' mother. That and Chloe acted a lot like the typical vain Aphrodite girl and there was no question that she was very attractive. Chloe had even tried to make a move on Percy at one point, right in front of Annabeth, and it took Annabeth threatening to rearrange her face with the royal blue diamond and platinum engagement ring, crafted by Leo with the aid of Nico and Hazel, to get the point across to Chloe that Percy was taken.

Aphrodite had also forgotten to grant them the ability to speak French like she did with her own children so they had been forced to struggle with it at times, though the brat Chloe spoke fluent, perfect English so there hadn't been a language problem there, the girl's intentions had been clear and so had her understanding. Annabeth had Iris Messaged Piper for help early on and to see if she wanted to join them but after all that had happened to their friend Piper, their fellow Agro II shipmate had decided it was for the best that she remain in Oklahoma and completely restart her life. Piper had apparently decided that the wedding was going to be the last time she returned to Camp Half-Blood and that with the exception of her friends, Piper was done with the Greek world for good. She was happy living a normal, peaceful, life in Oklahoma and wanted it to stay that way. That and it was clear that Piper did not want to crash their honeymoon as an awkward third wheel to their love.

The other thing no one had apparently seen fit to mention to the newlyweds was that while they hadn't run into any monsters, as Hecate had promised, there appeared to be a unique monster problem in Paris that ignored the protections on them. The couple found that out right then as they were walking along the Seine when a 10-foot mass of tentacles and eyes burst out of the river and began to lunge at random civilians.

"Percy, is that one of your Dad's creations?" Annabeth asked him as she studied the new monster with a critical eye that showed no fear.

"Not that I am aware of." Percy said as he closed his eyes and tried to talk to the monster as he could with all sea life. He got nothing from it, which meant that it was very likely not associated with his father at all.

"Yup, it's not Dad's" Percy said after a moment of trying and he uncapped riptide. "I can't communicate with it at all."

"Don't they usually threaten to eat you or swear at you?" Annabeth asked. "Not much to communicate there."

"The monsters yes." Percy said. "It's pretty amusing most of the time. The standard sea life just call me Lord and ask for my help with mundane shit."

"Well whatever it is, the mist doesn't seem to effect it." Annabeth said pointing to the fleeing civilians as she drew her darken bone sword. "Or apparently Hecate's protections on us. So I say we sent its ass back to Tartarus or whatever ancient underworld that it calls home."

"Great plan Wise Girl." Percy said with a smirk. "Short, simple and perfect for my talents."

"It's what I do best Seaweed Brain." Annabeth smirked back. "I make the plans while you serve as the brawn, so long as you don't let your fatal flaw get in the way and try and get suicidal that is."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Percy said as he and Annabeth ran towards the monster their weapons at the ready. "And I only got suicidal once without the curse of Achilles protecting me and even then you were there to save me."

At the last minute, right as she was about to strike the monster, Annabeth felt something wrap around her waist and haul her backwards to land hard on her ass several yards behind where she had started her attack. Standing in front of her, her back to Annabeth and facing the monster, was a girl of about 16 with black hair tied into two small pigtails with long red ribbons. That wasn't the odd thing, the odd thing was that she was wearing a skintight red suit with black spots and expertly spinning a yo-yo of all things like a weapon in her right hand. Annabeth knew that that had been what had yanked her back from the fight but for the love of her she didn't know why. Before she asked she looked over to see what had happened to her husband's attack on the monster.

Percy had been about to strike when Riptide had been expertly parried by a metal staff and Percy got a brief glance of a blond dude in a black bodysuit before he was kicked back, hard. Percy stumbled but stayed on his feel as he brought his sword up to face his latest foe. It was a guy dressed in of all things a black cat suit, complete with bell at his throat, cat ears, a belt that served as a tail trailing on the ground behind him, and contacts that turned his eyes into ones that looked like a cat's behind a simple black mask. He held a metal staff in a combat pose and Percy had no doubt that the kid knew how to use it in duel though the stance was unfamiliar to Percy. What he was doing here was strange enough, the fact that he could see Percy's sword and deflect it was something else. Magic that Percy had never seen was afoot and

"Mettre que epee de suite!" The boy barked in French at Percy.

"Je ne parle Francais." Percy got out, it was just about the only French he had learned since he was here and he knew it was horribly pronounced but it always got his message across.

* * *

The latest akuma attack was supposed to be routine, just like almost all of them were these days. At least that was what Adrien was expecting when he saw the report on some tentacle based akumatized villain attacking people along the Seine. Of course that expectation was ruined as soon as Adrien, as Cat Noir, and Ladybug arrived on the scene and they saw two teens running at the monster brandishing very real looking swords.

Well that was certainly new. Adrien had never seen the teens before but in a city the size and population of Paris that was common. Still he had a feeling that there was something different about the pair preparing to attack the akuma with apparent lethal force when compared to the average teenager he knew. They held their weapons with clear expertise and Adrien had a feeling that they knew true sword fighting styles and not the fancy fencing he knew. They knew what they were doing and Adrien could tell that they had done this before as a team and one more experienced than him and Ladybug, but this was a person who had been akumatized and that meant that he or she had to be protected.

Adrien didn't even have to look at his partner to know that she was going to deal with the blond girl wielding a sword that Adrien hoped was not made out of bone. Adrien was going to deal with the black-haired boy wielding a bronze colored sword.

Using his staff Adrien vaulted over the other boy and while still in midair he deflected the boy's blade as he swung it at the akuma before landing in front of the kid and kicking him back from the akuma. Keeping his back to the akuma Adrien looked at the boy who had remained standing and was looking at him curiously, his sword held at the ready and Adrien knew in a one on one sword fight this kid would beat him easily. The boy was probably a few years older than him with jet black hair, a light tan, lean, muscular build, and sea green eyes that stared shocked at Adrien standing in front of him. The boy wore a simple orange shirt with what Adrien thought were Greek letters on it and jeans. Adrien did notice an interesting tattoo on the boy's forearm that had the letters SPQR, a trident, and a single line. Adrien took all of this in in a second before he yelled at the boy.

"Put that sword away!" Adrien yelled at the boy.

"I don't speak French." The boy said back in terrible French with a distinctive American accent, New York if Adrien had to guess a state.

"American?" Adrien asked switching to English. "What the fuck are you doing here and why the fuck do you have a sword?"

* * *

"I was trying to deal with that fucking monster." Percy said in English to the boy in front of him as he gestured at the monster. "Whatever it is it needs to be stopped."

"It is an akumatized person." The cat boy said in perfect unaccented English. "Not a monster. Me and Ladybug are here to defeat it as we are supposed to do. She is the only person with the power to turn an akuma back into a normal person."

"Say again?" Percy asked confused. Apparently, the boy thought that the monster was a person who had been turned into a monster or whatever an akuma was.

"I said that it is a normal person who has been magically transformed into what is known as an akuma." The boy said and Percy just blinked at him in confusion. "We, that is me and Ladybug, have been dealing with them for almost 2 years now."

"That's not a person." Percy said back. "My wife and I have been fighting monsters since I was 12, well she has been fighting them since she was 7, and I know one when I see one. Admittedly I have never seen one quite like that. Besides how can people here see it through the mist and on that note how the fuck can you see and deflect my sword? Mortals aren't supposed to be able to see it."

* * *

Adrien had no idea what the kid in front of him was talking about and he really didn't have time for it. There was clearly more at play than he knew but they had to deal with the akuma first and he could tell that Ladybug was stuck dealing with the kid's wife though they seemed a little young to be married. He had no idea what the kid was babbling on about this mist, his sword, and mortals and frankly right now Adrien didn't care. This was something they would all have to address once the akuma was defeated.

"Clearly there is some misunderstanding here." Adrian said to the strange boy. "But we don't have to chat right now. You are clearly a hero of some sort but you are on our turf right now so listen to us if you want to help. This thing is a person who has been akumatized by a super villain known as Hawk Moth. Ladybug and I have to find the object the akuma is in and destroy it so she can purify it and set everything back to normal. Once this is done then we can meet later and talk about all this as there is clearly some shit we need to sort out cos frankly you and your wife aren't normal people, I can tell."

"Very well." The boy said as he produced what looked like a pen cap and touched it to the tip of his sword causing it to vanish. "We'll do it your way but you and your partner owe us some answers when this is all said and done, we will return your answers with some of our own as you two will have questions for us. Now tell me; is the Seine a fresh or salt water river?"

"It's a river so it's freshwater mostly, maybe a little salt I guess." Adrien said confused at the statement. "Now if…"

Adrien didn't even get to finish his statement before a tentacle from the akuma he had been ignoring slammed into his side and sent him flying into a nearby wall. His suit and enhanced magical strength protected him from any serious injury but that didn't stop the blows from hurting like hell.

However, before he hit the wall he heard the other boy mutter something like "great, it's not as good as the sea but I can work with freshwater" before he expertly dodged the tentacles now attacking him and leapt into the Seine. Adrien had no idea what the kid was planning and frankly he didn't care. Ladybug was getting distracted by the blond girl and so he had to hold the akuma off her until she could come aid him in defeating it. Groaning in pain Adrien peeled himself off the wall and charged at the akuma hoping his lady would join him soon.

* * *

"Excusez moi, mademoiselle!" Annabeth said in her best French, which while still accented was at least better than Percy's butchery of the language, as she slowly rose from the ground and struggled to remember the French she needed for the next part. "Mais j'essayais de tuer ce monstre!"

"Ce n'est pas un monstre!" Came an angry sounding French response from the girl with her back still to Annabeth. "C'est une personne."

"Screw this." Annabeth mutter before raising her voice. "I don't speak French very well miss and given the circumstances unless you speak Ancient Greek I don't have the time to be translating a language I have barely studied while trying to fight a monster at the same time. Can you speak English better than I can speak French?"

* * *

Marinette had heard of the akuma attack through the Ladyblog while she was working in her room on her latest design and instantly changed into Ladybug before swinging away to deal with it. She had met up with Cat Noir on the way and they didn't need to say anything, their partnership was so strong that at times words weren't need. Besides, this was going to be a standard akuma take down. That was the plan until they arrived and saw the two teens with swords preparing to attack the akuma. They acted instantly, they had to protect the citizen from harm even if he or she had been akumatized.

Without thinking Marinette landed behind the blond girl in jeans and a dark gray shirt and threw her yo-yo to ensnare the girl's waist and haul her backwards as she flipped over the girl to face the akuma, yo-yo spinning as she surveyed the tentacle based akuma for the akumatized object. She felt bad about attacking a civilian but it had to be done, besides the girl clearly knew what she was doing and wasn't going to be hurt that badly from the surprise attack. Hopefully the girl got the hint that the heroes of Paris was here to deal with the akuma and would leave. Of course, the girl running at the akuma with a sword that chillingly looked to be made of bone was not going to be deterred.

"Excuse me, miss!" The girl said from behind her in passable, American accented French. At least it was passable enough that Marinette knew what the girl was trying to say next. "I was trying to slay that monster!"

"It is not a monster!" Marinette shouted behind her letting a little anger into her voice at the obnoxious American. It was evident that the girl had never heard of her or akumas and was just an apparently armed tourist with a hero complex, still the slay part seemed a bit much to Marinette. "It is not a person."

Screw this." The girl whispered in English before continuing in her native tongue. "I don't speak French very well miss and given the circumstances unless you speak Ancient Greek I don't have the time to be translating a language I have barely studied while trying fight a monster at the same time. Can you speak English better than I can speak French?"

"I have been studying your language for years." Marinette responded switching to her accented English. She was proficient in the language but her proficiency had come from years of learning it at school so her French accent was clearly there. "I can probably speak it better than your French if you can handle my accent."

"Trust me it's more understandable then some American accents I've heard." The girl said from behind her. "Now would you kindly explain to me why you can see this monster, why you seem to be able to see my sword, and why you prevented me from slaying it by throwing me on my ass?"

"That monster as you call it is a person who has been akumatized." Marinette said as she grudgingly turned to face the blond girl, keeping her yo-yo spinning behind her back. She stared at the slightly older blond girl who was now on her feet, sword in hand and a very intelligent, determined gaze in her stormy gray eyes.

"Akumatized person?" The girl asked a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes. "What's that?"

"The short story is that there is a villain in Paris called Hawk Moth." Marinette said as quickly as she could in English, she did have to translate from French as she spoke so it wasn't as fast as she would have liked. "He has the power to create obedient villains when he senses someone's extremely negative emotions, usual anger or grief. Then he sends his akumas, which are magically infused butterflies, to that person and grants them a specific power based on their personality, the item they are holding that houses the akuma or the reason why they are in pain. He offers them power, revenge, glory, basically whatever real or perceived injustice they want to correct in exchange for getting our miraculouses for him from me and Cat Noir, the dude dealing with your er boyfriend."

"My husband actually." The girl said with pride holding up her left hand and showing off a beautify engagement ring and wedding ring on her left ring finger.

"Er yes your husband." Marinette corrected, she had assumed based on their age that the couple weren't married but sometimes people married young. "Anyway, our job is to find the object that has the akuma in it, break it so it can't work, and then purify the butterfly inside so that everything can return to normal. Due to the magic involved the akumatized victim has no memory of what happened while they were akumatized."

"Alright that is plausible, I've experienced weirder after all." The blond girl said.

"You have?" Marinette asked shocked at the statement. To her the wasn't anything weirder than what she and Cat Noir did on a weekly basis.

"Yes, and if we live through this then perhaps we can all get together and trade war stories, along with other information that we are both lacking here." The girl said ominously as she gestured her sword to show that the akuma had realized they were distracted and had just slammed Cat Noir into the wall and had turned its attention onto them. "This is your turf, what can I do to help?"

"Whatever you do, do not kill it." Marinette said as she watched the girl's husband run over and jump into the Seine for some reason while Cat Noir peeled himself off the wall and got busy blocking tentacles from her with his staff. "Just help Cat Noir keep it busy, I need to do something. Lucky Charm!"

* * *

Annabeth watched as the strange teen threw her yo-yo and said something in French that Annabeth was certain was just "Lucky Charm" in a French accent. Whatever it was the yo-yo flew unnaturally straight up and spun at an inhumane rate before coming down with of all things a fishing net that had the same design as the girl's costume. Annabeth knew magic and it was obvious that magic was at play here. The girl just looked confused at the net and muttered.

"Que suis je cense faire avec ce?"

Annabeth's limited French failed her at this point but she assumed that the girl was confused as to why the magical power she had just invoked had given her a fishing net and what to do with it. It was just another thing to add to the growing list of questions to ask this girl when all this was done. Annabeth had decided to just accept what the girl was telling her until evidence to the contrary happened. It was obvious that the girl knew what she was doing and what was going on, plus the thing in front of Annabeth had nothing to do with any ancient world she knew, be it Greek, Roman, Norse or Egyptian. Now though the girl was staring intently all around her as if she could see something that Annabeth couldn't. The monster or akuma or whatever was trying to get past Cat Noir so Annabeth decided to act to give the girl the time she apparently needed.

Leaping forward Annabeth made sure to use the flat of her blade to deflect the tentacles as she joined the boy that was apparently called Cat Noir, a fitting name given his outfit and reflexes, and helped him keep the attacks off the girl. Just then the Seine exploded again, this time however it was a water spout that had her husband at the top of it, his brow furrowed in concentration as he held himself and the spout aloft. Annabeth knew that the Seine was freshwater so Percy had likely been forced to negotiate with some playful French nymphs and use more power than normal to control it.

"Ah so that is why he jumped into the river." Cat Noir said next to her in perfect English as he calmly deflected a tentacle. "That's not something you see every day. He has no miraculous, no kwami, and I am unaware of other superheroes so how is he doing that?"

"A trait he inherited from his father." Annabeth said simply. "Works better with saltwater but fresh is serviceable just more taxing."

"That explains his question." Cat Noir said as Annabeth noticed the other girl staring wide eyed at the water spout as if it was both new to her and something that was essential, the very thing she had been looking for. "Still don't get how though?"

"We will explain later seeing as we all should talk after this cos we are both confused by the other." Annabeth said as she ducked a tentacle aimed at her head. "But long story short is that we are children of Greek Gods and that is how my husband has power over water, he is Poseidon's son."

"Wait! What?" Cat Noir asked just as his distraction cost him his concentration and a tentacle slammed into his chest and threw him backwards to land hard on his back and causing Annabeth to wince.

"Can he project the water at the akuma?" the other girl asked clearly having not heard their conversation.

"He can." Annabeth confirmed. "I think he's trying but it takes more power to effect freshwater and sometimes river gods or nymphs can be fickle at times when Percy tries to use their waters."

As if on cue Percy lashed out with his right hand and a jet of water flew out and slammed into the monster throwing it hard into a nearby wall before it fell to the ground in a heap of tentacles. As soon as it was there the girl threw the net over it to hold it in place just as what looked like an octopus fossil fell out from inside the field of tentacles.

"Cat Noir, destroy that fossil." The girl barked in English.

* * *

Adrien slowly got up slowly from the attack, it had hurt but not as bad as he had been expecting. The claim of the gods had been a shock and caused him to lower his guard and to be hit, again. Still it was something that they would definitely have to talk about because as far as he knew they were just myths. Then again, the boy he had just met was controlling the water in a way he had never seen before so best to keep an open mind. After all the kwamis and miraculouses were magical so why couldn't there be other magical stuff.

That was when he heard Ladybug speak in English to the blond girl. She was clearly proficient in the language, any well-educated French teen was, but her accent was pretty thick and familiar. When he was Cat Noir, Adrien's senses, especially his sight, smell and hearing, were enhanced to the level of a cat and as a result when he was a civilian they were above average, probably from all the transformations but Plagg wouldn't confirm his theories. That was why when he heard Ladybug speak he was certain he had heard that particular thickness of French accented English before. It had been in English class at school and it had been Marinette speaking. He was so shocked at this that he barely heard Ladybug's order.

"Cat Noir, destroy that fossil." She yelled at him in English, probably due to the use of it for the Americans.

That order alone confirmed his suspicions that the girl's accent was identical to Marinette's. Adrien wouldn't have been able to detect it in French given that they all had similar accents in their native language but when she spoke in a foreign language he could tell that Ladybug's and Marinette's English was accented the same way. They all had different levels of thickness depending on when they had started to learn English and how much effort they had made so he and Chloe didn't have accents as they had been brought up bilingual while others in class were much thicker like Nathaniel who barely tried in English beyond what was required.

Adrien realized he didn't have time to ruminate on the thought. He had to act to end this fight. Running forward Adrien scooped up the fossil in his right hand.

"Cataclysm!" Adrian yelled and the power of destruction filled his hand destroying the fossil in a second.

* * *

Annabeth watched in amazement as Cat Noir activated his magical power and destroyed the fossil with his touch, it seemed both teens had at least one specific magical power they could call upon when needed. As soon as it was dust a small, purple and black butterfly flew out and the tentacle monster disappeared in a flash of purple/black light into a confused looking fisherman. It looked like the girl was right about the monster just being an ordinary person.

Annabeth continued to watch as the girl drew a line down the center of her yo-yo causing it to open up and turn bright white. She then threw it at the butterfly and as the yo-yo was about to made contact with the butterfly it closed, returning to normal with the captured butterfly in it.

"Time to de-evilize." The girl had yelled as she had thrown the yo-yo.

Annabeth had no idea what that meant until the girl tapped the yo-yo and it opened again showing a white light once more just as a pure white butterfly flew out of the yo-yo. Annabeth realized that the magical power of the yo-yo had purified or removed the evil magic that must have been infused in the butterfly to create the monster they had just faced.

"Au revoir le petit papillon." The girl said in French while she waved at the butterfly as it flew away before she grabbed the net off the confused fisherman and throwing it into the air while saying. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Annabeth continued to watch in amazement as the net exploded in midair and sent out a stream of millions of ladybugs. They swarmed around all the damage that had been done and turned it back to normal as if nothing had happened, including recreating the octopus fossil that had contained the butterfly. There was definitely some ancient magic at hand and Annabeth's natural curiosity was severely peaked. She had to know what was going on and which ancient world it was from. First though she had to go help her husband who had missed all this as he had clearly lost control of the water spout and fallen back in to the river. Percy was just now hauling himself out of the river, still completely dry, but exhausted from the exertion as always.

"Er what just happened?" Percy asked slightly groggily from the exertion of power as Annabeth ran over to help him up.

"Standard akuma attack, defeat, purification and restoration of everything back to normal." The girl said as she approached them. "Er, why aren't you wet?"

"Perk of my abilities thanks to my father." Percy said with a shrug. "I only get wet when I want to get wet. Wasn't there a lot of damage?"

"Yes, but my Lucky Charm cleaned it up." The girl said. "It's part of the magic associated with my miraculous as it is the miraculous of creation."

As she spoke there was a beeping sound that came from her earrings. Annabeth looked at them and noticed that one of the dots in the pattern had disappeared. It seemed that her power was tied to the earrings. A similar beeping came from a ring on Cat Noir's hand.

"Ah we must go." Cat Noir said showing his flashing ring. "Our powers are tied to our miraculouses, items of jewelry infused with our kwamis. Once we use our special powers we have 5 minutes before the magic temporarily runs out our transformations fall."

"And I assume that no one, not even each other, know your civilian identities." Annabeth said. It was clear that while the pair trusted each other and worked together the way only partners who have survived multiple battles could, they were concerned about revealing their civilian identities just like comic book heroes Annabeth had heard of. It was likely for their own protection.

"Yes, but we have a lot to discuss it seems given what just happened." The girl said. "I am Ladybug by the way and my partner is Cat Noir, we are the heroes of Paris and you two seem to be heroes in your own right but of a different sort."

"We are considered heroes back where we are from." Percy said with a nod.

"And I agree, we should all meet up once you two can transform again so that we can go over all of this." Annabeth added.

"Meet us at the base of the Eiffel tower tonight at midnight then." Cat Noir said. "We can take you to the top and talk there."

"We'll be there." Annabeth said as another beep sounded from the pair's miraculouses as they called them.

"We must go, bug out." Ladybug said and with that she threw her yo-yo up and quickly swung away, clearly her transformation was about to fall.

"Until tonight." Cat Noir added with a salute before he extended his baton into a staff and vaulted away.

"Well they were certainly interesting and new." Percy said as he pulled Annabeth close to him. "But how could they see through the mist?"

"I think it has something to do with the magic that they seem to have." Annabeth said thoughtfully. "It was clear there is some ancient magic at play and as a result the two mortals who wield it can see through the mist when directly confronted with it the way they were just now. We both know ancient magic well and they reek of it."

"That we do." Percy said with a sigh. "And here I was hoping for a month of freedom from anything like that."

"We were last here briefly 2 years ago." Annabeth said. "Paris has changed it seems. Whatever is going on here, it is an ancient magic that we have never encountered before. It's not Greco-Roman, Egyptian or Norse but it is still powerful and we should try to learn as much as we can about it."

"Well Wise Girl we will find out tonight." Percy said rubbing her lower back. "Until then we have a walk to finish."

"For once a good idea Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I have my moments Wise Girl." Percy said with his usual goofy grin as he took her hand and they continued on their walk along the Seine as if nothing had had happened.

This was still not the strangest day in their lives, not by a long shot and not even in the top 20 strangest days but it was still a strange day nonetheless. Tonight, they would finally get some answers to what had just happened, until then though they had a honeymoon to continue enjoying.

* * *

Finally, midnight came and Percy and Annabeth were standing at the base of the Eiffel tower. They had spent the rest of the day wandering around Paris and then doing a bit of research on Ladybug and Cat Noir. The best source of news had been a French blog called the Ladyblog. Of course, they had to IM Piper to translate it for them but they were able to get the basic info on the pair that protected Paris.

Apparently, the pair had appeared on the scene almost 2 years ago, shortly after Percy had taken Annabeth to Paris for the one month anniversary. Their main job was to stop akuma attacks, of which about 45 had occurred so far. Akumas were super powered villains created by a super villain known as Hawk Moth who seemed to be hell-bent on getting Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses from them for some reason. The whole thing seemed to be something contained to Paris with limited media outside reporting on it outside of France.

On the stroke of midnight Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived at the Eiffel Tower, a structure that Annabeth kept raving about, as they had said they would. Both were back in their costumes, the magic having been recharged it seemed. Percy and Annabeth had talked about the outfits and come to the conclusion that they were magically grafted to the teens bodies while transformed and couldn't come off. It was definitely some kind of ancient magic.

"I hope you don't mind a little trip or heights." Cat Noir said in English when he arrived. "Cos, we are going to have to take you to the top of the tower to talk privately."

"We're not afraid of heights." Percy said with a smile. "Just air travel for me."

"Spiders for me." Annabeth said with a shudder. "They hate me cos of my mother and unfortunately it's for good reason."

"Just add that to the list of questions to ask you." Cat Noir said with a calm smile. "Hope you don't mind heights, or another dude carrying you."

"Wait…" Percy began but that was all he managed to get out before Cat Noir hauled him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and extended his staff.

Percy felt his stomach drop as he rapidly ascended to the height of the Eiffel tower and had to refrain from screaming as they fell forward and landed on then now closed top observation platform. Cat Noir landed and dumped Percy unceremoniously on his ass as his staff shrunk to a baton in his hand that he subsequently attached to his lower back. Percy was glad that they had not really entered Zeus's domain or else both of them would have been fried by the angry thunder god.

Glancing over the edge Percy saw that Ladybug had scooped Annabeth up bridal style to carry her up. The superhero was carrying his wife similarly to how he had carried her across the threshold of the honeymoon suite, but with just one arm and was using her yo-yo to expertly swing up to them upwards in a series of arcs. It was clear that the magic of the suits gave the pair superhuman strength and that Annabeth was both uncomfortable with the position and terrified by the journey.

His wife needn't be. Ladybug flipped in the air at the apex of her last swing and landed lightly on the deck before gently putting Annabeth down on the deck. Percy instantly went over to her to comfort her and make sure she was alright. He and Annabeth had been through worse so it only took a moment for her to stop shaking from the journey.

"I think I would rather fall into Tartarus again than do that." Annabeth said as she rested against him. "Minus all the shit we went through while we were there of course."

"Ok can you two explain who and what you are." Ladybug said in her accented English once they were all settled on the observation deck. "I can assume you looked us up today and found out basically all you needed to know but we know nothing about you. I tried to ask my kwami earlier but all she was able to tell me was that had it not been for her magic I wouldn't have seen your weapons and that I should keep an open mind to what you two will tell me about who you are."

"What's a kwami." Annabeth asked curiously. "And yes, we did look into you two and with the help of a friend who speaks French fluently we were able to figure most of it out. You two are some sort of superheroes with magical powers that fight these akumas that are created by some super villain who wants your miraculouses."

"That sums the situation up pretty well." Cat Noir said with a nod. "But to add a little more context our powers come from our kwamis. They are immortal beings created from pure magic as far as I can tell, mine just prefers to glorify cheese and write odes to it than to actually explaining his species to me. They can be seen because of the miraculouses and there are about 19 of them from what I know but only four are in circulation, mine which is the Black Cat Miraculous, milady's which is the Ladybug Miraculous and those are the two most powerful and oldest ones and represent destruction and creation respectively. Then Hawk Moth uses the Moth Miraculous and the Turtle Miraculous is in circulation but hasn't been activated while we have been active in Paris."

"On especially tough missions the Fox Miraculous shows up but is always returned afterwards for safety reasons." Ladybug added. "Our kwamis have been around for at least 5,000 years and have changed hands multiple times. Even Hercules was supposed to have had one."

"He would have been called Herakles then and he's a giant asshole." Percy said remembering his meeting with the greatest hero of Greek Mythology. "That might explain a lot about his many achievement, that I have replicated by the way, he must have given it up when he became a god."

"Say again?" Ladybug asked. "What do you mean he was made a god, or that he was real to begin with, isn't he just a myth?"

"I guess it's our time to explain who we are." Annabeth said. "Also, firstly I am Annabeth Jackson by the way and this is my husband Percy."

"Aren't you a little young to married?" Cat Noir asked raising an eyebrow at them.

"Given the life expectancy of demigods is about 18 if they are lucky, it was best to sort it out now while we were still alive." Percy said with a shrug. "Plus, after so many of our friends died over the last few years I felt that the time was right to ask Annabeth to marry me. Annabeth was one of the first people to meet me when I found out that I was a demigod and while she hated me at first cos of our parentage, we became best friends and eventually fell in love with each other. We became official after the Titan War, the first war we fought together, ended, and after the third war we have had to fight in the last 6 years I decided to pop the question."

"I didn't hate you at first Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said with a smile. "I found you irritating and the fact that the next Big 3 child just had to be the son of Poseidon, my mother's arch enemy, was annoying. No, I developed a crush on you during our first quest while we were in that animal container from Denver to Las Vegas and fell for you hard during the quest I led into the Labyrinth."

"As cute as this is and don't get me wrong it is, can we get back on track because I am really confused at all these American and what I assume are mythological references." Ladybug said. "Though Annabeth we should talk later, the boy I love has no idea I like him, though I he knows I am a fan of his at least, and I don't know what to do about it."

"Sure, boys are very blind." Annabeth said and Percy noticed a look of hurt and then confusion cross Cat Noir's face and he had a feeling that the boy liked the girl and she didn't like him back. Unless she did like him but only his civilian identity and she didn't know he liked her back because of who they were in real life and not knowing the other's secret identity but Percy put the chances of that happening as 1 in a million.

"But yes, we should get back on topic." Annabeth continued. "I assume you know about the Greek Gods."

"Yes." The pair said at once.

"Well as we said earlier, they are real." Annabeth said.

"Yeah my kwami confirmed that." Cat Noir said. "I asked him when I transformed back. Given all we have faced I don't doubt it."

"I do." Ladybug said. "My kwami told me to try and believe you but it is a little hard to believe."

"You saw what I did earlier did you not." Percy pointed out. "That was from my father."

"So, you two have powers then?" Cat Noir asked. "Is it just you or all, what was it that you called yourselves, demigods?"

"Some of us do." Annabeth said going into scholar mode. "We inherit part of our parent's abilities but only a fraction of their divine powers. While all demigods are born with dyslexia because our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek, Latin, or Old Norse depending on which pantheon our godly parent comes from, and with ADHD as part of our survival instincts, some of us are granted additional abilities. Percy for instance has more power than any other living demigod as he is the son of one of the Big 3 gods, those are Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, and their kids always inherit more power than other demigods. As Poseidon's son Percy can breathe underwater, control water, remain dry, talk to all sea life, horses of any kind both normal, magical and others within the equine family."

"Wait why horses?" Ladybug asked confused. "My kwami will be able to confirm all this later so let's just say I believe you for now, but horses do seem to be a bit out of sorts with sea life."

"Oh, that's cos my dad created them out of the sea foam in ancient Greece when he and Annabeth's mother, Athena, invented the chariot." Percy said. "One of the few time my father and mother-in-law worked together. As a result I can talk to them. As well as zebras, that was how I first realized I could talk to equine animals, donkeys, mules, pegasi, immortal horses, flesh eating horses, hippocampi, those sort of creatures."

"What the hell do they say?" Cat Noir asked. "I've always wondered what animals would say if they could talk."

"Well sea life always wants me to come solve their many mundane problems." Percy said. "While calling me lord, offering me assistance, and swimming with me. It's fun at times but a little freaky when a frenzy of great white sharks comes up to you, try to bow while underwater and offering you their services for protection. Even when I try and tell them no I usually end up with an honor guard of them around me regardless. Horses are similar with the lord stuff though they tend to prefer to talk about food if they don't want my help, they are greedy creatures. I also can't walk in Central Park without some mounted officer's horse coming up to me for a chat and ignoring his or hers mount while offering me any assistance I could possibly want. The flesh-eating ones have no respect for me and just want to eat me while the immortal ones just swear at me in new and very inventive ways."

"It can get a bit much when we are on a date and a horse comes over for a chat and tries to help himself to my salad." Annabeth said with a sigh. "But they tend to leave after Percy tells them he is on a date, after apparently unsolicited dating advise that is. Fortunately for me I can only communicate with owls, my mother's sacred animal. They hate Percy cos of his father so I constantly have to tell them to not bother or shit on him en mass. Other than that, I am an expert weaver and can weave a tapestry in mere minutes, trust me I found this out while being chased by spiders underneath Rome as I was trying to rescue a statue of my mother and face the Queen of all spiders. I have no specific powers like Percy but I am the best strategist we have. My gift from my mother is my intellect, curiosity, and thirst for knowledge."

"So, other demigods might have different powers based on their parents?" Ladybug asked once Annabeth was done. "So, for example Hades being lord of the dead, his children can summon the dead or what not."

"Mostly it's just skeletons but there are some rituals they can use to summon near solid ghosts." Percy said. "Our friend Nico is a child of Hades and his sister Hazel is a daughter of Pluto, Hades's Roman half. She can find precious metals and gems and is create tunnels because Pluto was the God of Wealth as well as the Underworld and that was the part of his personality she inherited. There's a lot of variation even between kids of the same god. For example, the sea is a constantly changing force that can go from calm to stormy in seconds so while I inherited a more calm and peaceful nature, minus the fact that I can change moods really quickly at times, from my dad, other children of Poseidon inherit more dangerous and destructive tendencies and powers from him."

"Roman half?" Cat Noir asked. "I know that the Romans and Greeks worshiped the same major gods but I didn't realize that they were different depending on the cultures that worshiped them."

"Oh, they are very different when in Roman form to when in Greek form." Percy said. "The Roman ones are more warlike and take the personalities that the Romans wanted of them. Like Mars is actually a reasonable dude but Ares, his Greek half, is a right asshole. It's all very confusing."

"Or they neuter Greek Gods." Annabeth said with a hint of anger in her voice. "Like my mother, Athena. In her Greek form she is the goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts like weaving. She is also a maiden goddess who grants the men and women she intellectually falls in love with children that are formed in her mind, similar to how she was born from Zeus's head after he swallowed her pregnant mother, long story there. However, Minerva, the Roman version of Minerva, is not a war goddess but more one of the arts and crafting with a little wisdom. Roman's honor maidenhood more extremely than the Greeks so the idea of a maiden goddess like Minerva having kids is scandalous to them and it took them a while to accept that the Greek version was different. During the second war we fought, the gods' Greek and Roman personalities were at war with each other and put most of them out of commission and the more different the versions were the more damaged the god or goddess was so my mother was the worst effected."

"That all sounds very confusing" Ladybug said once Annabeth was done with her rant. "I am sure that there is more that you two can tell us while you are here, like about these wars you say you have fought or the fact that you are the child of a virgin, but I can see that they are uncomfortable subjects so I will ask you two one last question for tonight. What was that stuff about monsters today?"

"Oh that, that's cos all the Greek and Roman monsters exist." Annabeth said. "As well as other mythological monsters but that is for another time as the worlds rarely interact with each other. Now that you have had your eyes opened to our world by seeing our swords, and the magic of your kwamis I presume, I am going to assume that you will be able to see monsters now as well. Most of them don't bother humans but there are plenty that do and as demigods it is our job to stop them. They also can smell us and track us through technology in order attack us, hence why our life expectancy is short. We live in special magical camps, one in New York for the Greeks and one in California for the Romans, that protect us from monsters but if we venture outside of the camps they attack us, often. We are trained at the camps to slay them hence why we assumed the akuma today was a monster, that is what we are used to. Sorry about that."

"At least we stopped you just in time." Ladybug said with a smile. "And it is ok, it seems that it was your natural reaction from years of experience to protect the citizens of Paris, we can't fault you for that."

"Yeah we were hoping not to have a problem with monsters but it worked out in the end." Percy said. "Now that you can see them you may have to occasionally stop them and if we run into any while here, not that we are expecting to given the protections we have for our honeymoon, we could use your help with them."

"If they are genuine monsters and a threat to Paris then we will help." Ladybug said. "Just remember that it will have to be you two who deal the killing blows as neither of us have weapons capable of that short of Cat Noir's cataclysm and we have never tested it on organic matter and frankly don't want to."

"Understandable." Annabeth said with a nod. "Monsters are out business, akumas are yours."

"What are the monsters?" Cat Noir asked. "Are we talking like cyclopes, dragons, and those sort of creatures or something more exotic."

"Actually, they are called drakon's if they can't fly." Annabeth said as she drew her sword. "My sword is made from the bone of one that is killed every day in Tartarus. It's as effective at dealing with any monsters as Percy's Celestial Bronze blade or a blade made from another magical metal like Stygian Iron, Imperial Gold or Bone Steel."

"Pretty much anything mythical is real so there are plenty of exotic ones like Pandai that show up out of nowhere that are unknown but all the standard ones exist." Percy confirmed to Cat Noir. "Some are bad, others like my half-brother Tyson who is a cyclops, are good. We kill them and send them back to Tartarus where they regenerate because monsters are immortal and so they come back. Some take days to regenerate like the Furies, others can take up to a century but those are the unique ones like Geryon."

"My head hurts." Ladybug said rubbing her temples. "It is a lot to process but I can see where you two are coming from. I think that this is enough new shit for now, where are you staying so we know how to reach you with more questions, which we will undoubtedly have."

"The honeymoon suite at the Grand Paris Hotel." Annabeth said. "Our wedding gift, along with the whole damn wedding, from Aphrodite."

"That's the Greek Goddess of Love, right?" Cat Noir asked. "I could use her aid with my love life."

"You don't want to deal with her if you have too." Percy warned. "She is very unpredictable and obsessed with beauty and love above all else, she's very vane and self centered and takes great pride in those traits. She likes me and Annabeth as a couple, we are apparently her favorite after all we have been through, but she encourages her own children to break men's, women's or both's hearts on a regular basis."

"Love is a cruel mistress." Ladybug said with a knowing sigh. "I can see that. By the way you two can help us with akumas so long as you follow our lead."

"If we see them we will come to your aid like today but this is our honeymoon and we really need a break." Percy said. "Hecate promised us a rest bit from the monsters and we intend to enjoy that."

"Besides, we aren't well trained an not killing monsters so it may be hard for us to change our natural training as it is ingrained into us." Annabeth said. "But we will aid you two should you need it."

"That's understandable." Cat Noir said with a nod. "You are here on vacation not work."

"Anyway, I think we should get you two back to your hotel to enjoy your honeymoon. Cat Noir and I can visit you at the hotel another night this week to talk more as we will have many more questions." Ladybug said with a smile as she looked at Annabeth and Percy saw the fear cross his wife's face.

"You don't have…" Annabeth began but it was too late as Ladybug had scooped her up and swung away.

"Just get it over with." Percy grumbled with a sigh as Cat Noir nodded, picked him up and vaulted away. It had been a productive night but Percy knew that there would be more to come while they were in Paris.

* * *

It was the next morning and Annabeth was walking hand in hand through the streets of Paris, enjoying the peaceful day. Last night had been a long one but after what had happened during the day it had been needed. The teen heroes of Paris had been interesting and seemed to believe them when they had told Ladybug and Cat Noir about the Greek Gods. Still it was always hard to persuade demigods, let alone mortals, that their world existed but given what was going on Paris Annabeth felt that they would believe them.

After the harrowing journey through Paris with Ladybug, Annabeth was no stranger to harrowing journeys, but being carried bridal style by Ladybug while swinging on nothing but a magical yo-yo took the cake for Annabeth. She never wanted to do that again but she did appreciate it that the pair had been respectful and carried the person of the same gender. Annabeth wasn't necessarily jealous, she had a hot husband after all, but she still did not appreciate it when women toughed her man that she had been through so much shit with.

Upon getting back, Annabeth and Percy spent a few hours talking about the other heroes in their hotel room and what they had learned from the teens. They had talked about their impressions of Ladybug and Cat Noir. The pair were honorable, responsible and did not abuse their powers. If they ran into anymore akumas while they were in Paris then they would aid the teens but otherwise Annabeth and Percy expected to see them when they came to visit and ask about the mythical world. It was clear that they still had more questions for her and Percy, she had some of her own for them, and they would come visit at some point but Annabeth didn't expect that they would learn any more about the pair. That was when Percy suddenly stopped causing her to almost drag him a pace or two when she didn't stop.

"Percy what's up?" Annabeth asked looking at her husband. She looked at Percy and saw that the was gazing intensely at an ad featuring a blond boy on a pillar.

"Huh?" Percy said distracted before continuing. "Wise Girl, does that boy in the ad look familiar?"

"I dunno." Annabeth said as she studied the image more closely. As she looked Annabeth noticed that the boy's hairstyle was familiar. "He sorts off looks like Cat Noir."

"That's what I was thinking." Percy said thoughtfully. "Same hair, skin tone, build and the green eyes could be easily changed to look like a cat's with the magic they use when they transform."

"I can actually see that." Annabeth said as her mind went into overdrive analyzing the boy. The more she thought about it the more it was likely that he was Cat Noir. "I think you're right, as rare as that occurrence is. He might be Cat Noir. Who is he?"

"Adrien Agreste." Percy said looking at the bottom of the picture where a name was written. "I guess he's some kind of model in his day life. I wonder why people here haven't realized that he is Cat Noir."

"There is clearly some powerful magic afoot protecting his and Ladybug's identities." Annabeth said as she continued to study the picture. The similarities were too much to be a coincidence to her, not that she believed in coincidences anyway, that the only way for normal Parisians to not notice that this model was their cat themed hero was that magic was afoot. "Either the Mist or something similar like the Duat is obscuring the Parisians from seeing the similarities but cos we already can see through magic we aren't affected. I wouldn't be surprised if Ladybug has a similar protection, her costume didn't do much to protect her identity behind the simple mask, especially if she keeps the same rather unique hairstyle. When we get back to camp we should as Chiron about kwamis and miraculouses. If Herakles held one then he should know something about them for sure. They can't be of Greek or Egyptian origin though, the whole creation and destruction thing sounds more East Asian in origin but again Chiron will know more when we get back to Camp."

"I assume we should keep this to ourselves and not tell anyone, not even Cat Noir, that we know who he is." Percy said. "Or at least have a very good suspicion on who he is."

"They are keeping their identities hidden for a reason." Annabeth said with a serious tone. "We should respect that. We could confirm it before we leave if they feel that they can trust us but otherwise we should keep it to ourselves."

"Agreed." Percy said as his stomach rumbled loudly causing both of them to laugh. "Now I'm hungry, why don't we go to a bakery and try some famous French pastries while we are here, so long as they are blue that is."

"I swear your brain is full of seaweed." Annabeth said with a laugh. "It's always the third organ you seem to think with these days."

"Well we are on our honeymoon." Percy said with a wink that caused Annabeth to blush at the memories her husband was implying. "But for now, the stomach has full control of my thinking capabilities right now. I think we just past a bakery, Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie I think it was called. Whatever the name was the smell was amazing."

"Trust you to remember a name when it is food related." Annabeth said rolling her eyes and Percy turned them around and lead them back to where he had seen the bakery.

"Food is important." Percy said with his usual endearing smile that Annabeth just rolled her eyes at as he led her back the way they had come.

The bakery was indeed called Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, trust Percy to remember something correctly when it revolved around food, and Annabeth had to admit the smell coming from it was very good. Almost as good as her mother-in-law's special blue cookies, one of the few desserts Aphrodite had allowed at their wedding that wasn't predetermined as part of the menu by the love goddess.

However as soon as they opened the door Annabeth stopped and stared at the girl behind the counter. It took all of her willpower to not gawk at the teen in front of them, she was amazed that Percy wasn't gawking but he seemed too interested in the food all around him to pay attention to what was right in front of him, it was classic Percy. That was because the girl behind the counter was the spitting image of Ladybug minus the distinctive mask, right down to the pretty blue eyes and jet-black hair pulled into two small pigtails. There was no doubt in Annabeth's mind that she was staring at Ladybug and that her identity was protected only by the mist or some other form of magical obfuscation.

"Bonjour." The girl said in French as they entered. "Je m'appelle Marinette…"

The girl suddenly stopped as soon as she saw Annabeth and the wide-eyed look of shock and a little fear in her eyes confirmed to Annabeth that the girl, Marinette, had seen her before. Annabeth tried to keep a stoic look on her face as she approached the counter as if she had never met this girl before in her life.

"How may I help you Madame." Marinette said instantly switching to accented English but using the French for Mrs., a sign of respect in European culture when you knew the marital status of a woman.

The fact that Annabeth hadn't shown off her engagement and wedding rings when she entered or that she hadn't spoken and yet Marinette had used English as soon as she had seen Annabeth were telling. Both were telltale signs to a child of Athena that they had met before and that could have only been the night before atop the Eiffel Tower. That and Marinette's English was similarly accented to Ladybug's was enough evidence for Annabeth to confirm that this girl was Ladybug.

"Good guess on both, Mademoiselle." Annabeth said with a smile to Marinette. "I assume this is your parent's bakery."

"It is, the best in Paris." Marinette said with a smile not realizing she had given herself away to Annabeth.

"Good." Percy said finally looking up and at Marinette. Like Annabeth he paused but only for a moment before continuing and it was something that could easily be interpreted as thinking what to ask, something Percy was about to do anyway. "Do you have anything in blue?"

"Blue?" Marinette asked confused at the statement. "We dye the macaroons different colors depending on the icing we use so we have a few blue ones but that's it. Normally we keep the pastries the same color as the bread."

"Don't mind my husband." Annabeth said with a kind smile at Marinette. "It's a long story. We'll take a few of those blue macaroons and then a selection of whatever you recommend. We rarely get the chance to enjoy true baking the way only the French can do."

"Of course." Marinette said with a smile of her own and a nod as she began busing herself getting them two of whatever she deemed to be the best the bakery had to offer.

"Recognize her." Annabeth whispered to her husband in Ancient Greek.

"Ladybug, right?" Percy replied keeping the conversation in Ancient Greek. He may be a Seaweed Brain but after 2 years Annabeth had trained him to take a hint every now and then, though the proposal had been a very pleasant surprise to her that she hadn't hinted at.

"Correct." Annabeth confirmed. "Her reaction gave her away. She clearly recognized me, switched to English and used the correct title for me despite my age. All this without me saying a word. There is no doubt in my mind that she is Ladybug."

"I assume we will keep this a secret as well." Percy said. "Just like with that Adrien kid."

"Yup." Annabeth said. "Though she might know him, that way we will know a little more about them in general."

"Done." Marinette said as she held out a bag filled with the pastries and a separate box for the macaroons.

"Thanks." Annabeth said and passed over the Olympus Express card. Marinette stared at it confused for a moment and Annabeth realized that she could see it for what it truly was but it didn't stop her from running it and it being accepted by the cash machine. "By the way do you know who that boy model is, we've seen him on a lot of stuff in Paris while we have been here but never on anything in the states. Is he a local talent?"

"A-Adrien?" Marinette stuttered and blushed deeply at the name. Annabeth chuckled, it was clear that he was the boy Marinette had said she loved the night before, so she did know him. "That's Adrien Agreste, son of the fashion mogul Gabriel Agreste. He's been modeling for years, clearly as he is very handsome, and we go to the same school."

"I see." Annabeth said with a knowing smile at the younger girl. "Well hang in there, I'm sure he will come around eventually, boys are just slow that's all."

"Say again?" Marinette asked confused at Annabeth's words.

"Nothing." Annabeth smiled. "Thank you for the pastries, I am sure we will see you again if they are as good as you say. Au revoir, Marinette."

"Au revoir, Annabeth." Marinette said instinctively despite Annabeth not giving her name, another sign of the girl's identity.

"Come of Seaweed Brain let's go eat these pastries." Annabeth said as she led her hungry husband out of the bakery.

As they approached the exit the door was opened and none other than Adrien Agreste stood there about to enter the store. Annabeth swore she heard a squeak from Marinette behind her at the sight of the new customer. A large bodyguard stood nearby watching but not coming in.

"After you Madame." Adrien said in unaccented English, just like Marinette recognizing Annabeth on sight and confirming their theory in his identity to her.

"Why thank you." Annabeth said before raising her voice loud enough for Marinette to hear. "You are a fine young gentleman, I am sure you will make some woman very happy one day."

Again, Annabeth heard a squeak as they left. Annabeth smiled to herself, she liked the young teen hero and she had been like Marinette when she was Marinette's age, in love with a guy who couldn't see what was blatantly in front of him no matter how many times it slapped him. If she could help the other girl with her love problem she would.

"Did you notice Marinette's crush on Adrien?" Annabeth asked once she and Percy were far enough from the bakery to talk privately.

"Yeah not very subtle." Percy said through a mouthful of macaroons. "By the way these are very good, best I've ever had."

"I'll take your word for it despite doubting that you have ever had macaroons before." Annabeth said taking one before Percy scoffed them all and eating it, agreeing with his statement on the quality of the baking.

"Besides I think things might work out for them in the end." Percy said after he had gulped down a large mouthful in a manner that would have made many fish jealous.

"Why, it is clear from her reaction that Adrien has no idea about her feelings or his own." Annabeth said before looking at her husband with a knowing smirk. "Kinda like someone else I know."

"Hey, I got the hint in the end." Percy said defensively. "Admittedly after you kissed me though I had my suspicions before what with your actions on the bridge and some of the stuff you had said to me before the battle, I was just more concerned with not dying at the hands of Kronos than realizing that I was in love with you. I'd had the feelings for a long time, pretty much since you were captured by that manticore, I just never really voiced them to myself until you kissed me on my birthday."

"You mean after the second time I kissed you." Annabeth corrected. "I kissed you in the Labyrinth and you didn't get it then. Still I am honored you turned down Calypso for me, even if she cursed you for it."

"I just thought it was for luck." Percy said sheepishly. "And I would turn down even Aphrodite for you Wise Girl."

"Well it was for that too but still." Annabeth said as she blushed at Percy's statement, she was straight and even she would have a hard time turning down Aphrodite. It reminded her of how much she loved him. "But we got there in the end, despite your Seaweed Brain."

"That we did." Percy said with a loving smile. "Anyway, I am sure those two will be fine because I saw how Cat Noir looked at Ladybug last night, he loves her regardless of who is under the mask. If they just trusted each other with their identities then they would be together now and not in what seems to be an odd and confusing two person love square. Admittedly I thought it was highly unlikely that they would know each other in real life but I was wrong."

"Percy, you should know to never question the fates, the old hags that they are." Annabeth pointed out. "They always have a plan for a mortal's life."

"Yeah I don't question them or call them old hags anymore." Percy said.

"If they are still dancing around each other by the end of the month we can reveal to each individually that we know who they are and then suggest they trust each other as it might be even more beneficial than they realize." Annabeth said. "They deserve to be together after all they have been through."

"I'm sure it will figure itself out in the end." Percy said taking her waist and pulling her close. "But let's not think about another potential couple, we have a honeymoon to enjoy as a newly married couple."

With that Percy kissed her, his lips and teeth stained blue and despite the sweet pastries he had been eating still salty just as always. Annabeth didn't care about any of that as she melted into the kiss and deepened it, not caring about their public location. She had never expected to live long enough to find love, let alone fall for her best friend, actually get together with said oblivious best friend, and survive the worst trials an demigod had ever faced all with him by her side throughout it, minus the period when Hera had taken Percy and wiped his memories that is. Now they were married and their future at last looked bright. She would always remember those who hadn't been as lucky, who had given their lives so that others could live, but for now she was going to enjoy this moment of bliss and peace with her husband while they were in Paris.

* * *

Adrien had decided to confront Marinette today at her family's bakery, he knew she worked there over the summer, and confirm once and for all that she was his lady. He knew that if he was right he would love her because she was the one behind the mask and he had fallen in love with Ladybug, mask or not. He honestly couldn't think of someone more fitting to be Ladybug than Marinette and he really hoped his theory was right. He also knew she liked him, the pictures were too numerous for an average fan of his to have and the shirtless picture of him he had glimpsed under her bed during the Troublemaker attack was pretty obvious, even for him. However, Adrien had seen how embarrassed Marinette had been by the whole situation that day so had decided to let her play it off while also inviting her to a photo shoot of his, she was really into fashion after all and she could get that and new photos of him at one of his shoots.

Still he wasn't going to ask her out just yet. He wanted to confirm that she was Ladybug and at the same time reveal who he was because it was only fair that if he knew she should know as well. Then he would get to know her a little better before taking their relationship to the next level that he was certain both would want. But for now the time had come to confront her.

Of course, he had not expected to run into Percy and Annabeth at the bakery but he was polite and respectful to them as they left. The Americans had given him a knowing look that he didn't understand so he shrugged it off, as well as Annabeth's comments, and went inside to see Marinette while his bodyguard made sure that they were alone. Plagg had confirmed to him the night before that all Annabeth and Percy had said was the truth, and that he was in deep with Hades and a Norse god called Mimir for gambling debts that he could pay off as soon as Dionysus returned from an exile he was in and could drink again. Adrien had decided it was best to not delve deeper in any of his kwami's apparent vices just yet. Besides now was for Marinette, not the Greek gods.

"Hey Marinette, how's it going?" Adrien said in English as he entered.

"H-hi Adrien." Marinette responded when she saw him and then continue in English. "I-I didn't expect to see you here today. Not that I don't want to see you or anything."

"That's ok." Adrien said continuing in English. "I just thought I would stop by and say hi and get a pastry after my fencing class."

"Oh ok." Marinette said. "Um Adrien why are we speaking English? W-we don't have a test coming when school resumes, do we? It is summer break."

"Well it was a test of sorts." Adrien said continuing in his second language and looking around to make sure that they were indeed alone. Marinette's accented English was confirmation of his theory that she was Ladybug and the more he looked at her the more he realized that she looked a lot like Ladybug just without the mask, he was amazed he hadn't seen that before today but the more he studied her cute face the more he realized that she was almost the spitting image of Ladybug. "I wanted to make sure that your accented English was the same as one I heard yesterday and it is."

"I didn't speak English yesterday." Marinette said a little too fast and with no confusion in her eyes to be convincing. She could be a terrible liar at times. "I don't…"

"Marinette, relax, I know your lying." Adrien said with a kind, genuine, smile stopping her ramblings. "My hearing's as good as a Cat's and when someone is not speaking their native language I can tell different accents, especially with English. Marinette, I heard you yesterday and I know that you are Ladybug."

* * *

Marinette just gaped at Adrien's words. How had he found out? He was right and it was clear that he knew the truth but the only time she had spoken in English as Ladybug was around Cat Noir and the American demigods, whose intel Tikki had confirmed when she had gotten home, the day before. The only explanation that Marinette could think about was that Adrien had been around when she had fought the akuma and heard her then. She had to ask how he knew the truth.

"How do you know I spoke English as Ladybug yesterday?" Marinette asked quietly, confirming the truth of her identity to her crush.

"I know because I was there, bugaboo." Adrien said with a dazzling smile and truth in his deep green eyes.

Marinette's mouth fell open. Only one person, one person who was in love with her, used that pet name for Ladybug. The only way for Adrien to know it would be because he was the one who said it. Marinette felt her throat close up as she tried to grapple with what she was thinking and all that it meant, most importantly the fact that it would mean Adrien reciprocated her feelings for him. However, there was no doubt in what Adrien had just said to her and the sincerity of his statement in his eyes. Marinette felt everything overwhelming her and she only managed to get out two words before her body shut down and she fainted right in front of the boy she loved.

"Cat Noir?"

 **Again sorry for getting this out a few days late, I have no valid excuses for my tardiness. I couldn't resist ending it this way for Adrien and Marinette. Hopefully y'all liked my first attempt at a full crossover oneshot, I am willing to do more if they are suggested so long as the crossover is with a series I actually know. As I often say (and hopefully for the last time) this is the longest oneshot in the series so far and the second longest single chapter I have ever written (still 11,000 words shy of my record) but given the topic and crossover nature it went on longer than I anticipated. The next suggested prompt, and 14th in this series, will be released at midnight GMT on Saturday and should be significantly shorter than this one (hopefully by 10,000 words) as it is a simple and straightforward prompt. The bonus oneshot, which was completed before 'Injury' as insurance for a week with no suggestions, will be released at midnight GMT on Wednesday. The oneshot's title will be 'Raffle' but that is all I will give away. Anyway, keep the prompts coming, it is because of these suggested prompts that I can make such unique and creative oneshots and for that I thank all those who give me suggestions. Keep letting me know what you think of this series in my reviews and if anyone wants to discuss all that happened in the latest Miraculous episode, 'Troublemaker', hit me up in the PMs as there is a lot to discuss. Until Wednesday.**

 **Stringdog**


	13. Raffle

**Here is the 13th and first bonus oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is a bonus oneshot that comes from my self generated prompt ideas for when there is no suggested prompts, however this one is being released as a bonus prompt because of how late 'Accent' was when it came out. This oneshot was written prior to the suggestion of the 7th oneshot 'Injury' and as such is the first oneshot that uses a similar method of revelation to an earlier oneshot. The regular schedule will continue this Saturday with another suggested prompt so keep the prompts coming. It is because of these suggestions that I am able to write such unique and creative stories. So sit back and enjoy this bonus oneshot in this series, Raffle.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Raffle** **\- Alya is in charge of the annual charity fair at** **Françoise Dupont High School and this year she has a special prize in the annual charity raffle that she has tailored for her best friend, Marinette. One lucky girl will win a date with Adrien Agreste. The odds of success are in Marinette's favor after Alya persuades her to buy the maximum amount of tickets for the raffle. Marinette wins her dream date but unfortunately an akuma attack ruins the date midway through and the results of that attack have more consequences than Marinette could have ever anticipated.**

* * *

 **Raffle**

"Marinette have you heard!" Alya almost shouted as she opened the trapdoor into Marinette's room.

Marinette was sowing her latest design when Alya had arrived and surprised her midway through sowing a seam into the bag. The shock caused Marinette to jump, stab herself with the needle, drop the bag she was working on and then land hard on her ass on the floor before the chair she had been sitting on toppled over on top of her.

"Wait's happened?" Marinette asked from under the chair on the floor. "Is there another akuma attack going on?"

"No not yet." Alya said as she helped her best friend up from the floor and went to find a band aid for Marinette's bleeding hand. "But give Chloe some time and she will create one soon enough. No, I was talking about the latest news from the school's upcoming charity fair and raffle."

"Oh that." Marinette said as she sat back down and put the band aid Alya offered her on her hand. "No I haven't looked into it that much into it. There's a charity committee that I am not on so I wouldn't know much about it, that was your job as deputy class rep."

"Well they just announced the prizes." Alya said almost jumping up and down in excitement. "And guess what one of them is."

"What?" Marinette asked. "Don't leave me hanging Alya."

"A date with Adrien." Alya said smiling widely at Marinette.

"WHAT!"

"Yeah he's one of the prizes." Alya said. "Both him and Chloe have agreed, as kids of famous and successful Parisians, that they would be a prize in the raffle to raise money for this year's chosen charity. Chloe's doing it more as community service cos she's responsible for so many akumatized victims while Adrien is doing it cos he's a good person."

"That is so like Adrien." Marinette said with a dreamy expression and a glance at all of her pictures of him. "I have to enter. This could be my chance to finally get a date with Adrien, show him I like him and how great I can be when I am not a hot, clumsy, mess around him. Then he will fall for me, we will become boyfriend and girlfriend, get married, have kids, pets, a nice house in the country where I make the clothes and he models them…."

"Woah girl slow down." Alya said calming Marinette by putting her hands on Marinette's shoulders as she got more and more into her fantasy life with Adrien. "One step at a time. First you have to enter, then you have to actually win the raffle before anything like that can actually happen."

"Yeah." Marinette said coming crashing back down to earth and collapsing into her desk chair, she hadn't realized that she was now standing. "I do need to calm down don't I. Wait why is it a raffle and not an auction? Surely an auction for a date with Adrien will garner more money for the charity."

"That was what the committee originally wanted because of that very reason." Alya confirmed. "As deputy class rep I sit on the committee so I helped guide it to the right decision. An auction would be more profitable but there was a fear that Chloe would just bid it up and prevent anyone else from winning and Adrien only agreed if there was a fair chance for all to win the date. Thinking of you I suggested a fair raffle for the dates and a few other prizes, while there will be a silent auction as well for more material gifts."

"Ah ok well thank you for preventing Chloe from cheating." Marinette said with a sigh of relief before realizing that there was another way for Chloe to get around the system. "Wait can't she just buy all the tickets and win that way."

"No because people are limited to 10 raffle tickets each." Alya said and then held up a hand to stall Marinette from speaking. "It's probably best for me to explain all the rules of the raffle. Each entrant gets 10 tickets and there are two pots. This is because both Adrien and Chloe are straight and as this is supposed to be a romantic, private date for two atop the Grand Paris Hotel both wanted the chance for the date to actually go somewhere romantically if the date went well. One pot will be for the girls who want to win a date with Adrien, the other for boys who want to win a date with Chloe. Once you pay for tickets your name is written on the back by a neutral third party judge who will also pick out the names when the raffle happens. The winner cannot transfer the date to anyone else so if say Sabrina won she couldn't transfer the date to Chloe or Max transfer it to Kim."

"Wow you really thought this through to ensure that Chloe doesn't cheat." Marinette said amazed at the effort Alya had put into this, normally she only put this much effort into the Ladyblog.

"Of course I did, I did this all for you." Alya said before laughing at Marinette's confused look and continuing. "I was the one who persuaded Nino to persuade Adrien to be a prize in the raffle. Then I made sure the rules were fair for all. As much as I would love to rig it so that you won I can't in good conscience do that even for you and especially as I made sure that Chloe couldn't cheat and ruin it for everyone. This is your best chance short of actually telling him and/or asking him out, both of which we know you are too afraid to do."

"I know, I wish I had the strength to do so but every time I see him I turn into a hot, awkward, very clumsy, mess." Marinette said with a sigh as she lowered her head. "It's hard being in love with a boy you can't get a coherent sentence out around. This, though, I will do it even if my chances of winning are going to be low and my chances of blowing the date will be high."

"Not really, well your chances being low on winning that is." Alya said with a smile that made Marinette look up, once again confused. "Only people enrolled at our school are allowed to enter. So any older girls would rather date people in their own year or above and the younger ones are too young to enter, there is an age limit after all. That basically leaves our class as the only entrants, which leaves the only girls who would buy tickets as you, Chloe, Alix, and Kagami."

"What about Rose, Juleka and Sabrina?" Marinette asked. "Surely they will enter as well."

"I am almost certain that Juleka is gay." Alya said. "She hasn't come out but if I am reading her right she has a crush on Rose. Rose either has a crush on Juleka or is uninterested in boys at the moment other than Prince Ali, she does seem a little too immature for the dating scene. Sabrina will be bared from entering because Chloe will want to remove as much competition and Sabrina will bow out for her best friend, also I think Sabrina might have a crush on Chloe and might not be interested in guys. Honestly I don't think Alix is going to enter either as she is uninterested in boys last I heard, she prefers to be one of the guys rather than dating them. She's still a girl, just not a typical girl who conforms to the societal aspects of gender. That leaves 3 of you so a 33.3% chance of winning. Not bad odds. I did make sure that I put you in as best a situation as possible with even odds across the board."

"Thanks Alya." Marinette said getting up and hugging her friend tightly. "You really are my best friend. When is the raffle? I will enter and if my luck holds I will win that date."

"Tomorrow." Alya said causing Marinette to stiffen in shock. "Yeah you have been a little too busy to realize that the charity fair, where the raffle will take place, was this Saturday. Don't worry I have already talked with your parents and they are already baking some delicacies to sell at it tomorrow. Its all sorted, you just have to show up, enter and pray to whatever deity you believe in that you win."

"Well then we have to get ready." Marinette said breaking the hug and rushing over to her desk. "We have a few hours to plan and you need to let me know all about the fair."

Alya laughed at her friend as they sat down in her room and began to plan for tomorrow. Marinette was really hoping she would win that date as she finally would get that chance to go on a date with Adrien but she was also afraid to win as well. She was afraid what would happen if she won and the date did not go well but she was Ladybug, she wasn't afraid of much when she was in her costume so she shouldn't be afraid of anything now, right? After all, what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

The next morning Marinette helped her family take several trays of freshly baked goods to the school for the fair. The charity fair was to be held in the large courtyard in the center of the school. Many of the parents and their kids had set up stalls of games, food and drink as the students wandered around to see what was on offer. A raised dais stood at the far end where the raffle would be held in an hour or so and Marinette was nervous. She had to steel herself but after she had helped her parents set up she went to where Alya was and bought the max amount of 10 tickets allowed for the raffle. Hopefully the luckiness that came with her miraculous would pay off today.

"Hey Marinette." A very familiar voice said behind her. Marinette jumped and almost dropped the tickets she had just bought as she saw Adrien and Nino standing behind her. "I see you entered the raffle."

"Er yes." Marinette managed to get out as she went bright red and she felt her throat begin to constrict. "It is for a good reason, I mean cause."

"Well I hope you win." Adrien said with a dazzling smile and Marinette forgot how to breath for a second. "I still can't believe Nino talked me into this but it is for a good charity. If I had to pick a winner I would want it would be you, Chloe is just too much maintenance for me and Kagami still wants to beat me after that fencing match. As far as I know no one else has bought tickets for me. You're awesome Marinette so I hope you win it. Plenty have bought tickets for Chloe though."

"I … I… I…" Marinette stuttered.

"Dude I think you broke Marinette." Nino said with a laugh.

"Don't worry I'll help reset her." Alya said coming over to save a still stuttering Marinette. "You boys continue to mingle we'll see you in bit for the raffle."

"Ok see you in a bit." Adrien said with a wave as he and Nino turned and walked back into the crowd.

"I… I..." Marinette continued before Alya prodded her back to reality and she turned to face her best friend. "Alya did Adrien just call me awesome and expressed his desire to see me win. I think I temporarily forgot how to function back there for a moment."

"Yeah you did, worse than usual." Alya said with a laugh. "And yes he did say that. Now come on, my dad can handle the tickets, lets go wander around until the raffle."

Marinette just nodded as Alya put her arm around Marinette's should and lead her deeper into the crowd. The next hour passed in a blur for Marinette as she enjoyed the fair as best she could but couldn't stop thinking about what Adrien had said to her. She really wanted to win that date but she didn't know if her luck would hold out or if her miraculous would give her a lucky boost. She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn't realize that Alya had steered her to the dais and that the raffle was about to begin.

"Welcome students, parents, both enrolled and perspective, and others to Françoise Dupont High School's annual charity fair." Principle Damocles said drawing everyone's attention to him.

The Principle was standing on stage with Chloe and Adrien just behind him. Adrien looked uncomfortable being the center of attention, likely due to what he had agreed to do, while Chloe was reveling in it and making sure everyone saw her as she preened herself in front of everyone.

"It is time for the raffle portion of our program today." The Principle said. "Usually we just raffle of small things like next year's textbooks, sports supplies, stationary, and other essentials while our big items are in the silent auction but today we have two special prizes to give away at the end of the raffle. One lucky guy will win a date with the Mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, and one lucky girl will win a date with Adrien Agreste, as dictated by the very extensive rules for fairness our committee came up with. Both dates will be private dinners for two atop the Grand Paris Hotel at times that fit your schedules. These will be the last prizes so without further adieu I ask Ms Bustier to come up and pick out the winning tickets for each prize."

Marinette watched in interest and nervous anxiety as the winning tickets were announced. Had it not been for Alya making sure she was still she would be shaking uncontrollably as it came down to the last two prizes, well that or she would have passed out from sheer nervousness. Chloe went first and Nathaniel won the date with her. While Nathaniel appeared to be happy about Chloe seemed uninterested but after a stern look from Ms Bustier Chloe softened up and accepted it. Marinette could swear she saw Sabrina look upset at that and didn't understand why. However, before Marinette could try and figure out why Sabrina was upset it was Adrien's turn and Marinette held her breath.

"And the final prize, a date with Adrien Agreste." Principle Damocles said with a flourish. "Ms Bustier if you will do the honors."

"Of course Principle Damocles." Their favorite teacher said as she reached into the special hat reserved for Adrien and pulled out a ticket. All the tickets had the names of the girls who entered on it so there was no need to read out a number. "And the winner is … Marinette."

Marinette swore she didn't hear correctly. She had won! She was going to go on a date with Adrien Agreste! The sensory overload was too much as everyone looked at her. The last thing she remembered before she fainted into Alya's arms was Adrien's smile and a very angry glower on Chloe's face that would be perfect for one of Hawk Moths akumas.

* * *

"Wait, wait happened?" Marinette asked as she came too and after a moment of panic she realized that she was lying on a couch in the nurse's office.

"You passed out from shock at winning the raffle. Don't worry I caught you before you hit the ground." Alya said patting Marinette's head. Marinette blinked away the light and realized that Alya, Nino, Adrien and her parents were there. "Pretty much right after it was announced that you won the date with Adrien. Chloe stormed off with Sabrina running after her to try and comfort her. I've never seen Sabrina look both happy and upset at the same time but for some reason she was. Honestly I'm amazed she wasn't akumatized by Hawk Moth, that girl was pissed as fuck."

"I think anger and spite are Chloe's default emotions." Marinette said as she slowly sat up, her head still spinning. "Hawk Moth's akumas apparently feed off negative emotions but those aren't necessarily negative for Chloe. When she was akumatized into Antibug it was because of a very harsh rejection from Ladybug, Chloe's idol, which caused enough despair to be negative for her and ripe for Hawk Moth's akuma."

"Wow Marinette, I didn't realize you knew so much about how the akumas worked." Adrien said with a smile and Marinette cursed at herself for what she had said, it was something only Ladybug or Cat Noir was supposed to know. "We will have to talk about that tomorrow night if you're feeling better by then and are free of course. I'm glad you won, I don't think I could handle a date with Chloe."

"Tomorrow?" Marinette said confused for a moment. "Oh right the date, yes tomorrow works, can't wait."

"Same." Adrien said with a genuine smile that made Marinette go bright red. "I'll pick you up around 6:30 then. Anyway I need to go, I unfortunately have a photo shoot to attend but I wanted to make sure you were ok after earlier."

"Thanks." Marinette managed to say as she blushed even deeper at Adrien's words and Adrien left with Nino following him out. Once they were gone she turned to Alya. "I should probably get home, I think I've had enough excitement for one day."

"Ok but I will be around tomorrow afternoon around 3 to help you get ready." Alya said as she helped Marinette up and steadied her, Marinette was still slightly woozy on her feet.

"Isn't that a bit early." Marinette said to her best friend as she walked over to her parents. "Its just a date."

"Marinette, you want to make a good impression and make sure that this is the start of something more." Alya said sternly. "So me, Rose and Juleka will be around tomorrow to make sure you are perfect. This is an hours long process my dear, just one of the many joys of being a woman. Once you win his heart then you can relax a bit but not now. There is hair, makeup, dress, shoes, accessories and more. 3 and a half hours is pushing it in my opinion but between the three of us you will be fine."

"Fine." Marinette sighed resigning herself to the fact that there was no doubt that this was going to happen as she walked over to her smiling parents. "I'll see you tomorrow Alya."

Alya waved at her as Marinette left to head home with her parents. She was ecstatic that she had won but was still very nervous about the upcoming date. It was something she was both very much looking forward too and dreading at the same time but she knew she had to make sure that it was perfect. This could be her only chance to make Adrien fall in love with her.

* * *

The next afternoon saw Alya, Rose and Juleka show up at Marinette's room right at the stroke of 3. Marinette had just about gotten over the fact that she was going on a date that night with Adrien but she was still nervous about it, though not as nervous as she was for Alya's planned makeover.

When Alya said it would take hours she wasn't lying. Marinette knew about dresses, could walk fine in heels so long as they weren't too high, and could do basic makeup that girls her age usually wore but it appeared that Alya, with Juleka and Rose's assistance knew all the works for being a woman, though Rose was banned from trying to create any perfumes. They put Marinette through the ringer for over 3 hours of what Marinette felt bordered on torture. Alya had said that this was all part of being a woman in today's society but that it was only for major events like first dates. Once Marinette was dating Adrien she could relax on the beauty regime back to her normal level but for now she had to look perfect for the date because Adrien certainly would.

The hair and nails part was fine by Marinette's standards though their choice of red for both her nails and dress was odd, even if she didn't mind it as she knew she looked good in red and she did like that they matched, it was just a little too close to Ladybug for Marinette's comfort. No the main problem was when Alya pulled out a full waxing kit to start the process. After the other girls had persuaded Marinette to strip down to her underwear, they had to hold Marinette down and gag her so that they could get make sure it all worked. At least they only worked on her legs and armpits, anything more private they all agreed was too far for a first date at their age and something that they should leave up to a professional. Once that was done with the cosmetics they made sure that the dress, shoes and accessories, minus earrings that Marinette refused to change for obvious reasons that she was not going to share with her friends, were sorted and matching before finally applying Marinette's makeup and letting her hair down. Alya had decided to take Marinette's hair out of the twin short pigtails she favored and let it fall naturally around her face.

By the time Alya pronounced them done with the ordeal it was 6:25 and Marinette had enough time to look at herself in the mirror and be amazed at the result. She looked stunning, she would have to thank Alya, Rose and Juleka later for all the hard work her friends had put into her appearance. She was certain that Adrien would be amazed at the change. The moment ended when she heard a knock on the door downstairs and then muffled voices.

"Marinette, a very handsome boy is here for you." Her mother called up. "Alya bring your phone I want pictures of them."

Marinette was sure that she was blushing but couldn't tell as she was no longer looking at herself in a mirror. Alya had used a red tinted makeup to offset the blushes that Marinette was certainly going to get throughout the night. Sighing Marinette thanked her friends and left her room, Alya just behind her, and went down the stairs to greet Adrien and her parents.

She had to work hard to prevent herself from falling down the stairs, her heals did not help the situation, when she saw Adrien standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, a pressed, white button down shirt with two buttons undone and no tie. His hair had been perfectly done as always and he was smiling at her though she could tell he was impressed when she looked into his deep green eyes and once again got lost in them. She was as impressed with him as he was with her, he looked even more handsome than ever. He had clearly put a lot of effort into this even if it was just a raffle prize and Marinette was really grateful for that. It showed just how much Adrien cared and was one of the many reasons why she loved him.

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs he greeted her with a light kiss on each cheek in the traditional French style that she returned as she tried to hide her blush at the contact his lips made with her cheek. He then put an arm around her waist and turned to Alya who already had her phone out as she beamed at the pair of them.

"Only a few pictures Alya." Adrien said. "We should be going, don't want to keep Butler Jean at the Grand Paris waiting. Send them to me and I'll have one of dad's photographers professionally print them however Marinette and her parents want them."

Alya just nodded and snapped off several pictures that Marinette knew she would get as soon as they left, they would become the jewels of her collection of photos of Adrien. Marinette tried to look as good as possible in them and hoped that they would come out well because they would all soon be framed and placed pride of place in her room.

Once Alya and her mom were satisfied she took Adrien's offered arm and he led her out of her house as she tried to ignore her parents and best friend as they waved goodbye to the two teens. The journey to the Grand Paris Hotel was in the car that carried Adrien everywhere and they spent the journey making small talk. After the initial shock of everything, now that she was on the date Marinette was actually having a good time and able to relax around Adrien. All she had to do was put herself into Ladybug's mindset and she could just about hold off the blushing and stuttering that usually affected her around Adrien.

When they reached the hotel, the dinner set up was perfect. The sun was setting and the twilight made the rooftop table atop the Grand Paris Hotel very romantic. Marinette was impressed by the extent to which the date had been done but she had a feeling that Chloe had had a lot to say in it and was furious that she wasn't the one sharing it with Adrien. Marinette was not going to lose any sleep over beating Chloe for this prize, now all she had to do was show Adrien that she liked him and wanted to do this with him again.

As they waited for their food they talked about their likes, interests, and dreams. Adrien was really interested in Marinette's fashion designs and even promised to talk to his father about them as Gabriel Agreste was always on the lookout for fresh local talent and she had won the hat contest. Marinette almost lost it at that point as fashion was her passion but she was finally getting comfortable around Adrien so she powered through it as best she could. Marinette had a good feeling that this date was going to go well for them.

Unfortunately fate as always was not on her side that night. They had just finished a fabulous French onion soup and Butler Jean had just served them each a rare fillet minion with a blue cheese sauce when and explosion rocked a nearby area of Paris. There was no doubt that it was an akuma attack, possibly caused by Chloe given the proximity to the hotel and that girl's likely mood at Marinette being on a date with Adrien. Of course there would be attack right when Marinette was having the time of her life. Lady Luck may have been on her side during the raffle but now she had turned her back on Marinette after giving her the finger.

"Merde." They both said in unison and looked at each other in surprise.

"I have to go to the ladies room." Marinette said quickly as she was thinking of an excuse that Adrien wouldn't dare to question. "I think that time of the month has just hit me and I wasn't prepared for it. I need to sort it out."

"And I think that cheese didn't agree with me." Adrien said holding his gut in discomfort as he easily bought her lie, a woman's body could be easily used to avoid a guy questioning why she had to leave. "I think Chloe may have tried to give you food poisoning out of spite and gotten me instead, I need to sort this out. I'll be back as soon as possible. I'm really enjoying tonight and want to continue it."

"Same." Marinette said with a slight, guilty, blush as they both ran off in opposite directions. Of course Chloe would have tried to sabotage her date but Marinette could get the girl back later, first she had an akuma to deal with.

* * *

The akuma attack was an easy one to defeat if one of the more vicious ones to date. Marinette didn't have time to deal with the akuma that was ruining her precious time with Adrien and Cat Noir seemed to have an equal desire to end the akuma quickly and get back to whatever he had been doing before the akuma attack. He didn't make any of his trademark witty one liners, puns, or banter. All he said was that the akuma had interrupted a great evening he was having and had to get back to is as quickly as possible, something Marinette completely agreed with. Though they ended the akuma quickly it didn't go down without a fight. Before they were able to break the akumatized object and purify the butterfly it had given Marinette a black eye that her mask couldn't hide and a cut Cat Noir along the side of his neck deep enough to draw blood but not deep enough to be serious.

As soon as it was defeated both Marinette and Cat Noir made excuses to leave and Marinette headed back to where she had transformed as soon as the akuma had attacked. Marinette changed back into herself and swore at the very noticeable black eye she had gotten, she was going to struggle to explain this one to Adrien and there was no way she was going to be able to hide it. Straightening her dress and making sure that she was not out of breath she left the bathroom and returned to the table as gracefully as possible, ready to explain a certain monthly function of the female body if Adrien asked.

Adrien was already sitting at the table looking a little disheveled but otherwise ok after his own emergency. Whatever Chloe had done must have done a number on him but he cleaned up well, hopefully he hadn't been waiting too long for her to return. Their dinner had clearly gone cold and been replaced by a steaming chocolate cake and a pitcher of cream for desert that made Marinette's mouth water. As she approached the table she noticed an odd, straight, cut along Adrien's neck that she hadn't seen before and that had just stopped bleeding but not before it had stained his collar red right under the cut. As she sat down she saw concern in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Sorry that was, unpleasant." Marinette said with a smile, hoping Adrien wouldn't ask too many questions. "Mother nature is a bitch to her daughters."

"Yeah Chloe must have put something strong in my food cos that took longer than I expected to sort myself out." Adrien said wisely not going into details that Marinette didn't want to know. "Marinette, what happened to your eye?"

"What oh that." Marinette said as she desperately tried to find an excuse for it, she hadn't had time to figure one out so she decided to default to her usual clumsiness. "I slipped in the bathroom when I was done and face planted into the wall. It was very painful and clumsy of me but that's what you get for not checking the floor of a bathroom and just striding out while wearing heels. What about you? You seem to have cut your neck."

"Huh." Adrien said as a cute look of confusion crossed his face. He put his hand to his neck and it came away red from the dried blood on his neck.

"Merde." He whispered quietly, so quietly Marinette barely heard it, before he continued. "Must have nicked myself shaving for tonight."

Marinette didn't believe him as he had not had that cut before dinner, she would have noticed if anything on his shirt was out of place, and she could tell Adrien didn't believe her. The wound looked a little like the one that Cat Noir had suffered a few minutes ago during the akuma attack and he had been very desperate to end the akuma today so that he could get back to his evening. The gears of something began to click into place in Marinette's mind.

"You know." Adrien said as he took a bite of the chocolate cake while studying her face and causing Marinette to blush, likely making the bruise look even worse than it already was. "That doesn't look like a black eye that you get from face planting into a wall. Looks more like the kinda wound you get from someone or something hitting you there, hard, and if I recall correctly didn't Ladybug just take a shot to the face against that akuma that just attacked. Her mask might hide it but there's no way it didn't leave a mark."

"How did you know Ladybug got injured?" Marinette asked as the gears began to whir louder in her head, something was missing that would explain all this but she couldn't quite place it just yet. "I thought you were in the bathroom suffering from food poisoning."

"I was." Adrien said quickly, a little too quickly and again more pieces began to fall into place in Marinette's mind, she knew she was close but whatever it was was still eluding her. "I was following the Ladyblog while I was there, I am a big fan of Ladybug's."

"Oh same on both accounts." Marinette said knowing full well that Alya hadn't made it in time but decided to test the theory that was beginning to build in her mind. "I watched the fight as well and if I remember correctly Cat Noir suffered a cut to the neck in that fight, very similar to the one you are sporting now and I certainly didn't notice anything on you earlier. Your shirt wasn't stained when we met so you couldn't have cut yourself shaving as you said."

Marinette watched as Adrien's eyes went wide in fear and she knew the theory she had just come up with after all the evidence was placed in front of her was right. Adrien was Cat Noir. The evidence may be circumstantial but it was enough for her. She knew she wasn't supposed to know but still it was to obvious to her. Between the cut, the sudden rush as soon as the akuma attacked and subsequent desire to end it as soon as possible, and the lack of discomfort that food poisoning would cause was enough to convince Marinette that she was right. That was when something else hit her. Cat Noir had feelings for Ladybug which meant that Adrien had feelings for at least a part of her. Adrien liked her!

This was something that took her a few minutes to process. As she was processing this she saw recognition and shock cross Adrien's face but put that to the side, she had to confirm her suspicions now while they were fresh in her mind.

"You're Cat Noir aren't you." Marinette said.

"And you're Ladybug aren't you." Adrien replied with a smile.

That took Marinette back a step. He had figured out her secret as well it seemed. The combined facts of them being on this date because of the raffle, the akuma attack during said date forcing both to leave the table, their joint desires to return to what they had been doing prior to the akuma attack, and their wounds had lead Adrien to this conclusion. Well this made the whole night more interesting.

"I am." Marinette confirmed in a quiet voice, there was no point in denying it at this point, the evidence was stacked against her just as it was stacked against Adrien.

"Well m'lady I guess we have found out each other's identities after all." Adrien said with a warm smile that Marinette blushed at. "And explains why I was having such a good time tonight."

"What?" Marinette asked confused at that. "I mean I was hoping you were but still part of me worried you weren't"

"Well I was always going to take this date seriously no matter who won but I honestly thought it would just be a good time with a friend." Adrien said causing a shiver of fear to run through Marinette, she had been afraid that Adrien would only see this as a good time with a friend. "But then when I saw how beautiful you were and how confident you were and I started to see it more as a proper date with a girl I might be interested in romantically. That confused me because well I'm in love with Ladybug and it felt like cheating on her to start developing feelings for another girl, but as soon as I realized that you were Ladybug that explained why I was developing feelings for you. Now I know tonight was a proper first date, if you want it to be one that is."

Marinette once again felt her breath catch in her throat. Adrien loved her. He didn't care that she and Ladybug were different, he had begun to like her for Marinette and not for Ladybug and yet he still saw Ladybug in her and that made her love him even more. This night had just gotten infinitely better for her.

"I do want this to be a first date." Marinette managed to get out before she steeled herself to admit her feelings, Adrien had after all just told her his so now it was her turn to confess them to him. "And Adrien I have something to confess to you."

"What?" Adrien asked as he reached across the table and took her hand causing to sigh with pleasure at the contact that she had always wanted with him.

"I love you." She said quietly looking into Adrien's eyes so that he could see that she meant every word. "I have for a long time, pretty much ever since you gave me your umbrella and apologized for that misunderstanding with the gum. At first it was just a teenage crush but it got deeper over time as I got to know you and your kindness more."

"It is funny how we fell in love with each other but in our two separate lives, you in our civilian lives and me in our superhero one." Adrien said with a laugh. "I liked Ladybug not knowing it was you and you liked me not knowing I was Cat Noir. Makes me wish we had told each other our secrets sooner instead of finding out like this. That way we could have already been together."

"Yeah but it was right to keep it a secret back then." Marinette said. "But now that we trust each other, I am glad we know who the other is and there are no longer running around each other in circles thinking the other person isn't into us if that makes sense."

"It does." Adrien said giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Though before we go you should do something about that black eye, not an easy thing to explain away and I might get accused of something I didn't do."

"I will sort it out before we leave." Marinette said agreeing with Adrien's assessment, in today's political climate Adrien would be branded guilty of abuse in the court of public opinion no matter what Marinette said. "Alya has my makeup and knows how clumsy I can be so she can come sort it out. She will believe I fell over myself around you and hit my head on something. Right now however I want to enjoy this desert with you."

The rest of the night was magical for Marinette. Adrien was a proper gentleman and now that they knew that they liked each other it made the night even better than she could have ever hoped for. They talked about nothing in particular but now that they knew each other's secrets Marinette was much more comfortable around Adrien and he was nothing but sweet to her. She knew that by the end of the night they would be an official couple.

Before they left the roof Marinette called Alya so that she could come and reapply the makeup to hide the black eye. She gave her best friend the excuse of getting flustered around Adrien and tripping over her heals to smack her face on the table right in front of him, much to her embarrassment. It was a plausible lie that Alya believed and both protected her secret identity and Adrien falling victim to the sexist Duluth Model that would have assumed he was responsible for the injury just because he was a man. After Alya had left the new couple walked back to Marinette's house hand in hand through the streets of Paris, Adrien's bodyguard following them in his car at a respectful distance.

All too soon they were outside the entrance to Marinette's place facing each other. They were holding hands and looking deeply into each other's eyes.

"Well I guess this is goodnight." Adrien said with a clearly sad sigh that Marinette sympathized with. "I had a great time tonight, excluding the annoying akuma attack."

"Same." Marinette said with a small smile.

"What do you say to dinner and a movie tomorrow night?" Adrien asked. "You know, a more typical date than what we had tonight. Don't worry it won't be a horror film, I know you don't like those."

"You have no idea how long I have waited to do that with you." Marinette said happily, her heart threatening to burst from her chest in excitement.

"Good I'll pick you up around 5."

"Can't wait." Marinette said. "But feel free to call tonight once I'm done with my parent's inquisition."

"Will do." Adrien said and Marinette knew that he would do just that.

He then put his arms around her waist and leaned in pulling her close to him. Marinette couldn't help but smile as she raised her arms to put them around his neck to pull him nearer to her, this was the moment she had dreamed about for over a year. At last their lips met in a tender kiss that was everything Marinette had ever dreamed about and then some. Unfortunately the kiss didn't last as long as she would have liked but she knew there would be many more to come.

"I should go." Adrien said the regret clear in his voice. "Dad will want me back as soon as possible. See you tomorrow, talk to you sooner."

"Can't wait." Marinette repeated as Adrien pulled close, gave her another chaste kiss and then turned and left. "I miss you already."

"I miss you too." Adrien said as he slowly walked away and back to his bodyguard's car.

Marinette sighed in contented relief as she leaned her back against the front door and watched Adrien leave. She couldn't believe how well tonight had gone. Yes they had found out each other's identities but it had worked out better than she could have ever hoped it would and as a result of them learning their secret identities she was finally dating Adrien. She wanted to go in but she knew that as soon she did she would be grilled by her parents, and probably Alya who likely had beaten her back to here. All Marinette wanted to do right now was just savor this moment for as long as possible. Sighing she turned and entered her home, ready to explain exactly how the date had gone, minus the revelations of their secret identities, and that finally she was dating Adrien.

 **This oneshot was written before 'Injury' was suggested, coincidentally the same week 'Injury' was suggested as I had no suggestions that week until 'Injury'. That is why the cause of the revelation is similar, though for 'Injury' the prompt revolved around Marinette's injury and how it cause Adrien to realize her secret identity, while this prompt revolved around the specific event that would ultimately lead to the inevitable revelation. I hope y'all like this bonus oneshot and that it makes up for my lateness with 'Accent'. Bonus oneshots will only occur when I am significantly late in uploading during a particular week and have no valid excuse for being late. I hope to be back to a normal, one time, schedule this week with hopefully a short prompt that has been suggested for this week. I currently have 3 other suggested prompts to work on so keep them coming because the more prompts I have to work with, the longer this series will run after the inevitable revelation in Miraculous Ladybug and I enjoy writing the unique prompts y'all suggest to me. That's enough for this note, as usual keep letting me know what you think of this series in your reviews. Until Saturday.**

 **Stringdog**


	14. Messenger

**Here is the 14th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested by the same supporter who suggested the 6th, 9th, and 11th oneshots in this series and who has suggested the next few prompts for this series. For once there is nothing to put here as this prompt is unique, uses a different style than other prompts, and needs no explanation here. So sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Messenger.  
**

 **Spoiler Warning: This prompt is set after the 'Troublemaker' episode and will contain spoilers from that episode.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Messenger** **\- After discovering who the other miraculous holder was during the Dark Owl incident, Plagg and Tikki realize that they can keep in contact with each other because of who their humans are. They decide to do so via their humans' cell phones and an outdated instant messenger app that the kwamis believe won't be discovered by either Adrien or Marinette. Of course their luck doesn't hold, what will happen when Adrien and Marinette discover the messages between their kwamis and everything those messages contain?  
**

* * *

 **Messenger**

It had been a long day, complete with a Chloe created akuma, and Adrien had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. As soon as Adrien was out Plagg flew over to Adrien's phone and after struggling to lift it as always, the little kwami carried the phone over to the table in front of Adrien's TV and turned it on. Long ago Plagg had learned Adrien's password so as soon as the password screen appeared Plagg entered it and he was into the technological magic that was the cell phone.

Navigating the new technology, it had taken Plagg a while to learn how this new form of magic worked as it had not existed the last time he was active, he found the app he was looking for. It was an outdated instant messenger app that was buried in Adrien's phone where Plagg hoped his human would never find it. The same app was on Marinette's phone and Plagg opened the app to see if Tikki was online.

After the Dark Owl incident where Tikki and Plagg learned who the other's human was, much to both of theirs shock given the strange set of feelings between their humans, the pair had met up in Adrien's bag at school the next day to quietly discuss this new development. Only Wayzz had the ability to sense other kwamis and their powers so until Dark Owl had trapped Ladybug and Cat Noir and forced them to transform to outwit him the kwamis hadn't realized how close they were to each other.

Now, though, they could reconnect and talk about things. Of course, they couldn't meet up that much while their humans were at school, so the pair had decided to use their humans' phones and an app that neither would use to talk with each other when their humans were asleep. It really was amazing the developments humans had made with messenger technology since the last time Plagg and Tikki had been active in society. The chats allowed them to plan things, tell each other about their days, and generally catch up with this modern society as they hadn't been active since the American Revolution.

Plagg didn't have to wait long before Tikki appeared online. They both used aliases just in case Adrien or Marinette ever found the apps and got suspicious of the contents, of course they still used their real names and those of their humans but this was new technology that the kwamis didn't fully understand. Plagg had chosen the alias Cheeselord5000 out of respect to the glorious food that was Camembert and his close personal friend Aristaeus, the Greek God of cheese, while Tikki, who had always had a sweet tooth ever since she discovered honeyed dates back in Ancient Egypt, was Cookielover5000.

 **Cookielover5000:** Does Adrien suspect Marinette likes him? Conversely does he suspect that she is Ladybug after Troublemaker removed one of her earrings?

Tikki had messaged him as soon as she was online. It was one day since the Troublemaker akuma attack when Adrien had seen the very large collection of pictures Marinette had of him. Plagg knew that despite the amount of evidence of Marinette's feelings for his human, Adrien was still blind to the feelings the girl clearly had for him but even Adrien was starting to get suspicious. Plagg also knew that if their genders had been reversed it would have been seen as creepy and stalkerish based on the sheer number of pictures all over Marinette's room. As for her identity, Adrien didn't have a clear enough view of Ladybug when Troublemaker had taken one of her earrings, only the second akuma to achieve that feat.

 **Cheeselord5000:** He is a little suspicious of her feelings but not that she is Ladybug. As for Marinette's identity, he didn't get a clear enough sight of her while her mask was slowly falling off this ruining the magic that obscures her identity while the mask is in place despite not being the most convincing disguise. Besides, weren't you there when he spoke to Marinette about them?

Plagg was going to tell Tikki the truth that Adrien was starting to think that Marinette did like him as more than a friend, but he was still failing to process it fully because of his feelings for Ladybug. Besides, it was time Plagg suggested to Tikki that their human's secret identities be revealed to the other. Plagg was personally tired of hiding it and after how close Marinette came to being exposed by Troublemaker he for one thought the time for the great reveal was right. Plus it would end this foolish love square once and for all.

 **Cookielover5000:** Of course I was there, I am always by Marinette's side. It was less painful than their usual conversations. However, I couldn't tell if Adrien was suspicious or not. Even after 5,000 years human emotions are still a mystery to me.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Well you know how slow he is when it comes to girls liking him, he still has no clue that Chloe has a crush on him despite her blatant attempts to kiss him. Marinette could literally kiss him and he would still not get the hint I think, it would take that plus a confession on her part to get through his thick skull that she is in love with him. That being said the pictures under her bed and in her chaise were very suspicious. He certainly is curious about it, but he won't make a big deal out of it. Her excuse was valid and I am pretty sure he bought it.

 **Cookielover5000:** So why did he invite her to the photo shoot?

 **Cheeselord5000:** Because she is into fashion, so he thinks that she will like the experience of being close to the latest trends of fashion. Plus, this way she can cut out the middleman and get the photos directly from the source. She may even be able to get a few professional shots with Adrien while there. Marinette is fortunate that there are so many girls, and guys if we're being honest, who are Adrien's fans and have many pictures of him in the oddest places, apparently. He's used to having many fans, so his default is to assume that they are fans and not teen crushes or in love with him. As I said, Adrien is very blind to girls' feelings for him but that seems to be a male trait in today's society. I know for a fact that Chloe keeps a small framed picture of him in a heart shaped frame in her purse at all times.

 **Cookielover5000:** And how do you know that?

 **Cheeselord5000:** I saw her put something in her purse and assumed it was cheese, so I checked it out as I was hungry, it wasn't unfortunately but I did see the picture. Don't worry I neither told Adrien about it nor would he be interested in Chloe even if he realized that she had a crush on him.

 **Cookielover5000:** Good, I don't think Marinette would be able to handle that given her long suffering rivalry with Chloe.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Besides we know that Adrien has eyes only for one person. Ladybug. It is the main force that blinds him to every other girl who likes him. Honestly, I think he doesn't even realize that the photo shoot invite could be seen as a date by Marinette.

 **Cookielover5000:** I think Marinette just sees it as a chance to be near Adrien and watch him model for a day without having to do so from a hidden spot nearby. That and the fact that she thinks Adrien bought her excuse and doesn't suspect that she has feelings for him, which she is not ready to admit yet of course. In her mind the excuse worked and she wants to keep it like that until she is ready to make a full confession. Still it is so frustrating that we can't just tell them the truth, she is so confident when she is Ladybug but put her as Marinette around Adrien and she turns into a clumsy puddle of nerves. They are in love with each other and they don't know it, but we are sworn to not reveal their secret identities to them while Hawk Moth is active. If we could then Marinette would realize that Adrien loves her cos he's Cat Noir and Cat Noir loves Ladybug and Adrien could realize that Marinette loves him and because she is Ladybug that means that Ladybug loves him.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Honestly, I find this hilarious. It's so like humans to behave like this. What is this like the 6th time our humans have been in love but not realized because of which life loves which person.

 **Cookielover5000:** 9th if we include the times when both superheroes fell in love with the others civilian form. But this isn't funny Plagg.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Of course, it is Tikki. Still I have a suggestion.

 **Cookielover5000:** Plagg, you know that worries me, you tend to think with your stomach rather than your head. Remember that Roman banquet you thought would be a good idea to crash and ended up ruining.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Those were good times. Besides, it's nature, I can't help it when I smell Camembert I have to have it. But hear me out on this, I am thinking with my head and not my stomach this time. What is we nudge our humans into finding out the truth on their own. That way we aren't telling them ourselves, thus honoring our oaths of secrecy, and we are helping them see that they should be together thus making them happy.

 **Cookielover5000:** I dunno, Master Fu said that we were supposed to keep them from finding out the other's identity. If they do, then that puts their loved ones at risk from Hawk Moth or worse he could learn who they are if they are careless in public or when one is transformed and the other isn't.

 **Cheeselord5000:** I get why Master Fu wanted them to be separate at the beginning but think of it now after over a year of working together. Only they will know who the other is, there is no fear of anyone else finding out because they are both already miraculous holders so know to keep it a secret. They will just have to be extra careful when only one is transformed.

 **Cookielover5000:** That is a good point, but it is still risky while Hawk Moth is still out there. Plus the Peahen Miraculous is still missing and we have no idea where it is or what might happen if Duusu is activated. She isn't known for her ability to keep her emotions in check.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Oh Duusu is inactive and in Adrien's father's safe. But back to the topic at hand, when it is just them who know it will be contained. Then they can help each other keep their secrets secret. Besides, past holders have known who the other is so why can't the current ones know.

 **Cookielover5000:** WAIT! Duusu is in Gabriel Agreste's safe?

 **Cheeselord5000:** Yup, saw the broach there when I went in to get the Miraculous Grimoire that was there cos Adrien was curious about the safe. Yeah it was a bit odd but I didn't think much of it, I just assumed that he found the broach at the same time as the Grimoire and didn't know what it meant. Nooroo wasn't there so I assumed Gabriel wasn't Hawk Moth and we know that Nooroo can't akumatize his holder. I couldn't reveal the Grand Guardian yet and I felt that Duusu was safe there for the time being. Also, if I took her than Mr. Agreste would be even more suspicious. It seemed to have some significance to his his wife and I wasn't going to mess with that. **  
**

 **Cookielover5000:** Plagg, we have to tell Master Fu as soon as possible about this. He will want to know where she is. He thinks that Duusu and Nooroo were lost at the same time. This contradicts that theory and we know that at least she is safe, even if Nooroo has been corrupted by evil.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Fine, Adrien and I will go see Fu when he can next get away from his bodyguard and tell him. You know we aren't supposed to bother him unless it is an emergency but I guess that this constitutes one. Now can we please get back to my suggestion that you distracted me from.

 **Cookielover5000:** So long as you promise to see Master Fu as soon as possible.

 **Cheeselord5000:** I promise.

 **Cookielover5000:** Thank you. Anyway, yes past holders have known the other's identity but few past holders have had to face another miraculous holder who has corrupted the power of his miraculous for evil and is hell-bent on bringing the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses together.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Yes, Hawk Moth is unique, it has been about 2,468 years since a kwami was forced to do evil back when both the Pig and Rabbit Kwamis were corrupted by some evil Greek king and his wife but still I think that this is the right call. Remember they love each other, even if they don't realize it yet, and will be able to keep everything a secret. I think it will actual strengthen them in the long run. It has worked in the past so why can't it work again now. They will keep it a secret, finally be happily together, and we won't have violated our oaths to protect their secrets.

 **Cookielover5000:** Very well I can see your point but if this backfires you are the one who takes the blame for it, got it.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Of course, I will take all the credit for it, it was my brilliant idea after all.

 **Cookielover5000:** I'm rolling my eyes at you Plagg by the way, I still don't know how to use the emoji function on these infernal devices.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Neither do I my dear. I also don't get why humans have to use them to communicate with each other. All this technology is maddening and frankly dumbing down the next generation. Plus it is evolving at a rate that is getting out of control.

 **Cookielover5000:** I agree but we are from a different time period and have been inactive for so long that we missed a lot of development we normally would see as we changed every few generations. However, we cannot hold these humans to the values we know just as they shouldn't hold historical figures to their own values but rather those of the days those historical figures existed, within reason of course as certain action are evil no matter what the time period or acceptance of those actions. We fought in the American Revolution and know how honorable many of the men and women there were and what they wanted, it was just a different era with different, in hindsight wrong, views.

 **Cheeselord5000:** I know but for some reason this is the generation of being perpetually offended at everything and not learning from the failures of the past. I thought when we helped the Founding Fathers we had done a good thing for the future but it seems a lot of our suggestions are being ignored these days, or in many cases not adopted elsewhere in the world. But we are just two immortal kwamis who aren't supposed to exist, there isn't anything we can do about the failures of the current generation of humans, just as we couldn't do anything about the failures of all the past generations we have experienced in our long lives.

 **Cookielover5000:** It's a shame but we should focus on what we can do and not what we can't change. So how are we going to execute your crazy plan?

 **Cheeselord5000:** I don't know details yet, remember I am just a floating stomach apparently, I only have the goal in mind so far. Not the path to said goal.

 **Cookielover5000:** Of course you don't have plan, you never do.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Things tend to work out so why plan when a plan, and its backup plan, can go array. But I know how much you like to plan so why don't we meet tomorrow in Marinette's bag while our humans are in class, that way we can strategize and come up with several scenarios for how to nudge them in the right direction of finding out who the other is.

 **Cookielover5000:** That is surprisingly wise from you Plagg. I agree multiple plans will allow the most leeway in accomplishing anything.

 **Cheeselord5000:** You always were friends with Athena and her incessant planning. I still like how the Romans humbled the arrogant goddess when she became Minerva, though they did take it a little too far.

 **Cookielover5000:** Of course, she was the only Greek Goddess I could get along with. Aphrodite is too busy messing with love rather than helping it and is obsessed with her personal appearance, Artemis is a sexist pig, Hera is too obsessed with image and perfection to the point that it's intolerable, Demeter cares more about crops than people and Hestia is kind and sweet but too busy with the hearth and the family. The Egyptian Goddess exist on a different plain and don't care about the mortals and most of the Norse Goddesses are either vane, too warrior like for me, or in the case of Hel scare me too much to go near. Still better than your drinking and gambling with Hades and Dionysus.

 **Cheeslord5000:** Hel is a lovely lady, me and her get on swimmingly as we both love destruction. Same with me and Nyx or her daughter, the Guardian of Darkness. Also, just cos one time me, Hades, Poseidon, Apollo, Frey, Mimir, Thor, Loki, Dionysus, Thanatos, the Master Guardian and the Guardians of Light, Fire, Bones, Gravity, Gas, and Magic decided to get blasted on the finest alcohol the Guardian of Alcohol can produce while betting on the Olympics in Olympia doesn't mean we do it all the time.

 **Cookielover5000:** YOU ENDED UP CREATING THE GRAND CANYON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE THAT DAY! And that wasn't the only time you have let vice get the better of you. Need I remind you of the Cult of Bacchus.

 **Cheeselord5000:** We did that? Damn that was one hell of a night or decade I can't recall how long we partied. I do remember waking up with 3 fairies, a doxy and a pixie in bed with me in the shell of a long dead armadillo in what is now the Arizonan desert with no memory of how any of us got there or why Thor's Hammer was in a crater next to us. Made me wish we kwamis weren't genderless that night, I think. Don't remind of that cult, it was too much even for me. I just like a quiet game of cards, some fine wine and even finer cheese these days.

 **Cookielover5000:** I am face palming myself right now Plagg. Just be careful with these Greek and Norse deities you keep socializing with, some aren't the most forgiving beings we know.

 **Cheeselord5000:** I'm fine Tikki don't worry. All my debts are paid off and I'm only banned from 77% of Mimir's pachinko parlors and none of them are in Paris. I'll be fine next time I go to my weekly game with the capo, Hades, the Guardian of Bones and Thanatos in the Guardian's palace in the catacombs. We should focus more on our plan for our humans than on my extracurricular hobbies.

 **Cookielover5000:** Very well but we are talking about all of this at some point, I don't want another kwami intervention. The last time we tried because Pollen was getting a little too fond of opium poppies was not fun.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Don't remind me of that incident, made me stay away from any drugs other than alcohol for life. Anyway, I am tired and the fair Lady Camembert awaits me in my dreams. We should meet tomorrow sometime during the afternoon, I sleep during the morning.

 **Cookielover5000:** Agreed, you are such a cat Plagg. I am still uneasy about this, but your logic is for once sound, and Athena always says follow the logic. It's not like anything could happen to ruin our plans after all. Night Plagg.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Night Tikki.

With that Plagg noticed Tikki had closed the app on Marinette's phone. Plagg did the same and carefully carried Adrien's phone back to its place on his bedside table so that his human didn't get suspicious. It was a solid plan and Plagg knew that it was for the best that their humans find out who the other hero was under the mask at some point, so why not sooner than later given the feelings the pair had for each other. However right now Plagg was tired, and sleep was much more important than anything other than cheese. With that Plagg curled up on Adrien's spare pillow, yawned as he stretched, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of his own fair Lady Camembert and her beautiful gooeyness.

* * *

Adrien got back from school and slumped into his couch exhausted. It had been a long day with fencing after school, a photo shoot over the lunch break, and to cap it off the second akuma attack in 2 days. He was tired and wanted to do nothing except sleep, but he was supposed to practice his piano for 2 hours now and then do his homework. Sighing and deciding to cheat on the piano again while he did his homework, Adrien pulled out his phone to find the music he needed to play to keep up appearances of practicing when he noticed something on his phone that he hadn't seen before.

There was an app, right next to the music one that stored his piano music separately from his personal playlist, that he had never seen before. It had been weeks since Adrien had actually used this particular music app that had his piano music so he hadn't checked this part of his phone in a while. Still, he was certain that he had never used that app before as it was an outdated IM service.

Frowning, Adrien opened the app to see that it had been used the night before while he slept. Confused, Adrien began to scroll through the messages between someone called Cheeselord5000 and someone who went by the handle Cookielover5000. The messages dated back a few months and if Adrien's memory served they began around the time he and Ladybug had faced Dark Owl.

It didn't take Adrien long to realize who had used the app. Cheeselord5000 was a less than subtle title for Plagg and the fact that the times on the phone showed that the messages had occurred while Adrien slept was enough to convince him that Plagg was the one who had been using his phone while he slept. That and the fact that Cookielover5000 used Plagg's name several times throughout the various conversations.

As Adrien read he was able to glean that Cookielover5000 was someone called Tikki based on Plagg's use of her name on several occasions. That was when it hit him. Tikki had to be another kwami and if Plagg was corresponding to another kwami right after the Dark Owl incident then there was no doubt that the other kwami was Ladybug's.

Adrien almost dropped his phone in shock at this. Plagg had been secretly communicating with Ladybug's kwami for months it seemed, and he had never realized it. He wasn't going to tell his mischievous kwami off for that, though he was going to change his password so that Plagg couldn't get into the phone again and he may restrict Plagg's Camembert intake as punishment. No, Adrien was going to delete the messages on the phone so that he didn't find out who Ladybug was. He wanted to know who his love was under the mask, but he knew she wasn't ready and Adrien was not going to find out like this.

Unfortunately for Adrien he had been reading the latest conversation between the kwamis from the night before. It was right there, everything he needed to know to figure out who Ladybug was and there was no way he could prevent himself from seeing Tikki's words. The references to the pictures he had seen in Marinette's room had been telling but not as much as Tikki admitting that Marinette was Ladybug, while Plagg admitted that he was Cat Noir. Both admissions occurred throughout the messages as the kwamis brazenly talked about their humans to each other. Adrien knew that Plagg was aware of who Ladybug was but still this had been unexpected to say the least. Adrien could help but be impressed that Plagg had figured out how to communicate with Tikki and that he had managed to do this for months without his knowledge but Adrien would have to eventually talk to his kwami about it, and his apparent vices it seemed.

Now though, not only did Adrien have confirmation of who Ladybug was but he had confirmation that Ladybug loved him because Tikki had admitted that Marinette was in love with him as Adrien. Adrien had certainly been suspicious of Marinette's feelings after he had seen all the pictures the other day, but he had assumed that she was just a mega fan because of her love for fashion, even if some of the pictures were in some very odd places. Her excuse had made sense and that was why he had invited her to his next big photo shoot, the one at lunch had been a surprise sprung on him at the last second. These messages changed everything however.

This message chain between the kwamis confirmed all his hopes. Ladybug loved him, and Adrien didn't know what to do because Marinette didn't know the truth yet but he knew that he loved her back. It appeared that Plagg and Tikki were planning to force a reveal between them, Adrien had no idea what to do about it. He wanted to talk to Marinette right away, he also wanted to scold Plagg for many things given some of the messages and ask about the references to the Greek, Norse and Egyptian Gods but those could wait. First, he had to figure out what to do about Marinette and Ladybug.

That was when he noticed that Cookielover5000 had come online. Adrien's breath caught in in his throat. Based on all the past messages Tikki had apparently never been online during the day so this could only mean one thing; Marinette had stumbled upon the app as well. Adrien decided to test his theory and began to type out a message. Who knows, perhaps all this could be sorted today and the reveal their kwamis wanted would happen, albeit sooner than the mischievous creatures had planned.

* * *

Marinette was at her desk working on a dress at her sowing machine humming along to the latest Clara Nightingale song coming from her computer that Tikki was dancing in the air too. Despite the humiliation and embarrassment that Marinette had suffered during the 'Fill my Shoes' debacle and Troublemaker incident the other day Marinette was happy. She had managed to talk her way out of admitting to Adrien that she was in love with him with an excuse he seemed to have bought, no one at school had made fun of her because Chloe hadn't bothered to watch the show out of principle, Adrien had been happy that she was his fan and he had even invited her to a photo shoot. She would no longer have to skulk in the bushes to watch him model like a creepy stalker and who knows it could easily turn into a date, or at least net her a professional picture of her and Adrien together. She didn't want to get her hopes up but still, this was the best chance she had ever had with Adrien.

Marinette had just finished a seam and was reposition the dress to do some more work when she knocked her phone off the table and it skidded underneath her. Cursing her naturally clumsy self, Marinette blindly reached under the table until she found her phone and pulled it towards her. When she looked at it she released that she had accidentally turned it on and opened an app while reaching for it, a problem with a fingerprint sensor unlock.

Marinette was about to close the app and return to her work when she realized what she had opened was not an app that she could remember downloading. The app was an instant messenger app that was a few years out of date. It was likely buried on her phone and Marinette had probably forgotten about it though for the life of her she couldn't remember ever using it.

However when she glanced at it she realized that the app had been active the night before. Confused, Marinette scrolled through the messages between two people going by the handles Cookielover5000 and Cheeselord5000 and realized that the messages went back months, all the way back to the Dark Owl incident. Curiosity getting the better of her, Marinette decided to read through the messages.

It didn't take her long to figure out that it had been Tikki who had been using the app while she slept. Cookielover5000 was a fitting name for her kwami and the timings meant that only Tikki could have had access to the phone, it also explained why Tikki was often tired in the morning and slept while she was at school. That and Cheeselord5000 occasionally used Tikki's name.

It didn't take Marinette long to find out that Cheeselord500 was called Plagg and that he was Cat Noir's kwami. It made sense given the timings but still it was too much for Marinette to handle given what she could easily find out from the kwamis' private conversations. She desperately wanted to delete the app, tell Tikki off for using her phone like this, and walk away from the app for good but she couldn't stop reading. That was when everything was laid out right in front of her eyes, there was no way she could forget what she had seen.

According to both Plagg and Tikki, Adrien Agreste, her love, was Cat Noir. Marinette had no doubts that this was true given everything said was stuff she knew about the famous model. That and the fact that Plagg repetitively stated that Adrien was Cat Noir. Then there was the fact that Tikki had brazenly talked about how Marinette was Ladybug, something Plagg already knew because of the Dark Owl incident, and about Marinette's feelings for Adrien. It appeared that Adrien was suspicious after the Troublemaker incident but had allowed his love for well Marinette to blind him. That was because he was in love with Ladybug.

Marinette almost dropped the phone at that. Adrien loved her! She couldn't believe it was true, but it was there in black and white. She knew that Cat Noir loved her and well Adrien was apparently Cat Noir so it meant that Adrien loved her. Now all she had to do was find the courage to tell him that she was Ladybug and then they could finally be together. However, despite the kwamis talking about steering them into finding out the truth, not that they hadn't accidentally just done that for Marinette, she was still nervous about telling Adrien the truth about her secret identity. Marinette decided to gloss over the multiple references to Greek, Norse, and Egyptian Gods for now and confront Tikki about them later, she had more important shit to deal with right now.

Of course, that was the moment the fates decided to step in and force her hand. While she had been deciding what to do she had not noticed that Cheeselord5000 was online or that he had sent her a message until that moment.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Hey Marinette!

* * *

 **Cookielover5000:** A-Adrien?

Adrien smiled at the message. It was clear that it was Marinette on the other end. He could almost see her cute bluebell eyes wide with fear at his message. Well now both knew the truth so time to sort it out and where better than to sort it out than on the very app their kwamis had set up to communicate with each other.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Yup. I take it you found our kwamis' secret communication app.

 **Cookielover5000:** Er, there's no way I can deny this or get out of it can I?

 **Cheeselord5000:** Not really, it is all laid out in black and white with more than enough evidence to confirm our identities. I know you didn't want to find out like this, neither did I, but trust me it was an accident on my part. I was just trying to fake piano practice when I found the app.

 **Cookielover5000:** Same here, though it was by blindly turning on my phone and opening the app after I dropped it. I didn't mean to find the messages but yeah there is no point denying this is there.

 **Cheeselord5000:** None really. Is it all true? You know what Tikki said in her messages to Plagg.

It took a few moments for Marinette to reply and Adrien knew that she was hesitant to confess the truth but there was no way that she could deny it. When the message did come through Adrien could almost see the downcast look on Marinette's face.

 **Cookielover5000:** Yes, it's true. I, I love you Adrien.

 **Cheeselord5000** : And I love you, m'lady.

 **Cookielover5000:** You mean it?

 **Cheeselord5000:** I do, with all my heart. Mask or no mask I fell for Ladybug and knew I would love the girl under the mask no matter who she was. Frankly I am glad that it is you who is under the mask, I couldn't think of a better person to be Ladybug.

 **Cookielover5000:** You have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear you say that.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Same here, bugaboo.

 **Cookielover5000:** So… what now?

 **Cheeselord5000:** Well now I ask the girl of my dreams if she would want to make that photo shoot I invited her too into a date, perhaps even model by my side as I could always use a beautiful girl to model with. Then see if she wants to get dinner after said shoot. After that I will confront my kwami on all this Greek stuff, his apparently many vices, and the usage of my phone.

 **Cookielover5000:** YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES TO ALL OF THAT! And same with the usage of my phone and the Greek stuff, Tikki has some explaining to do.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Great can't wait. I have to get back to 'piano practice', but I will call when I'm done, we can talk more tonight.

 **Cookielover5000:** Yeah, I have to get back to my dress. I'll be waiting for your call, kitty. Love you xxx

 **Cheeselord5000:** Love you too, bugaboo xxx

Adrien smiled as he closed his phone. It had all worked out in the end, he was with his lady at last, there were no more secrets between them and all because of his annoying little kwami using an outdated messenger app. Perhaps Plagg didn't deserve to be punished that badly for his actions. Plagg had helped but that still didn't get didn't negate any punishment for his actions. Still smiling Adrien got up and went to his piano to play a love song for his lady.

* * *

Once Adrien had gone to sleep that night, much later than usual as he had spent hours on the phone talking to someone that Plagg didn't know, Plagg once again took his phone and went to his app with Tikki. He instantly noticed that Adrien and Marinette had found the app that day and figured everything out, that explained who he had just been talking too at least. Not exactly how he had hoped they would find out and this meant that he might lose some cheese, but he could live with that, his plan had worked and finally Adrien and Marinette were together. That was when Tikki messaged.

 **Cookielover5000:** It seems our humans have found this chat. They know everything!

 **Cheeselord5000:** It would seem so. It was all part of my brilliant plan all along.

 **Cookielover5000:** Of course, it was, I'm rolling my eyes at you again Plagg. Anyway, I'm just glad that they are happy and together. I think they can keep the secret, so long as they are careful.

 **Cheeselord5000:** Agreed and we can make sure that they keep the secret.

The rest of that night's conversation was spent chatting about the reveal, what it meant and how to ensure that the secrets were kept. By the time Plagg went to bed they had a plan in place to talk to their humans in the morning about this so that Adrien and Marinette knew the gravity of the situation. Plagg was just happy that it was all out in the open and that Adrien was happy. When the conversation was over and as soon as Plagg curled up on his pillow all those thoughts disappeared as his dreams were once again filled with his own one true love, cheese.

 **I hope this worked for y'all, this is the first time I have tried to do a full oneshot based purely on phone messages with no actual dialog. Of course I had to bring in the Percy Jackson Universe again as a backdrop, expect the gods at least to be referenced in future oneshots. Now that I am back on schedule don't expect any bonus oneshots anytime soon. Currently I have suggestions for the next 5 oneshots and based on what we know about the show (and lack of episodes) this series will continue at least through the end of August. For the next 6-8 weeks the oneshots will go up at midnight GMT not EST so 5 hours earlier than usual. Anyway that's enough for this note, keep the suggestions coming as this story would be nothing without them and keep letting me know what y'all think in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	15. Recording

**Here is the 15th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested by the same supporter who suggested the last prompt (as well as the next 2 prompts in this series). Otherwise there really isn't much special to say about this prompt as it is a straightforward one. Therefore sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Recording.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.  
**

* * *

 **Recording** **\- Alya's out of data and cannot live stream for the Ladyblog. Therefore, when the next akuma attack happens, in an area with no WiFi, she is forced to record the battle. Unfortunately for Alya she is transformed by the akuma's power but not before leaving her phone in an alley to record the capture. After the attack, Marinette helps her friend look for the phone and finds it but when she does she realizes that the phone recorded more than just Alya's capture. Now Marinette has a recording with damming evidence against her and Cat Noir. Does she show it to Cat Noir or does she delete it and try to ignore what she had just learned?  
**

* * *

 **Recording**

Alya was running towards the sounds of the akuma attack and cursing her bad luck. After her latest data bill, her parents had set a limit on her data which translated to a limit on the amount of live streaming her phone could do and given the frequency of akuma attacks as of late she was already out of data for the month, after a week! Alya prided herself on being the fastest to post and the hottest take on anything Ladybug related. It was what had made her Ladyblog the number 1 site for any Ladybug related news in Paris. Part of that popularity was because she refused to allow any apps on her site, but she was on the brink of changing that in order to pay for data. Either she would allow a few adds that had Adrien as the model for Marinette's benefit or setting up a donations account to beg for money from her fans so she could pay for her own data. The latter was her preferred choice as it was a simple donation system and any left over money she could save for college.

Unfortunately, neither of those options were a choice for Alya today. As a result she was forced to record a video of the attack and subsequent fight between the akumatized villain, Ladybug and Cat Noir. Then Alya was going to add her own commentary, both during as she normally did, but also after the fact and before she uploaded it to the Ladyblog. It would be something different for once, though not her usual punctual upload.

Alya rounded a corner and came to a sudden halt in the square that the attack was occurring in. The akuma was one of those annoying ones like Darkblade or Pharaoh who could turn innocent civilians into a legion of minions to do their bidding as part of its power.

"Fellow Ladybug fans this is Alya Cesaire for the Ladyblog." Alya said turning the camera briefly onto her face before flipping it back to show the scene in front of her and continuing her commentary. "Unfortunately my live streaming is down today, so you will have to live with this recording of the latest akuma attack to befall our fair city. As you can see, we have yet another akuma with the ability to turn average citizens into minions for whatever twisted agenda the akuma has, normally based on the reason for why the person was akumatized to begin with."

Just then Ladybug and Cat Noir arrived and began to battle with the akuma. Alya continued filming the fight as always, adding in her own commentary as she did so to give her viewers her own perspective of the battle unfolding before her eyes. It was looking like a standard fight until the akuma invoked its power and turned the nearby citizens into its minions that it subsequently sent at the heroes of Paris. Alya had been so focused on filming that she almost missed the minions coming towards her as well until it was too late.

"Merde!" She swore as she noticed the minions coming her way. "Well viewers this is where your brave blogger makes her valiant exit. Don't worry I will be back soon to catch the end of the fight once I find a safer place to film from."

Keeping the recording going and making sure she got the minions in the recording, she was a professional until the end after all, Alya turned and fled the scene. As she was running, Alya noticed a side alley that looked perfect and fled into the alley to get away. It was a small, narrow place that would be hard to see into from the outside, hence why it was perfect. Unfortunately for her the minions had found it as well and as she ran in she saw her exit blocked by a few more of them. As she didn't have her pendent, she didn't have her fox powers so she was effectively defenseless right now.

"Looks like your intrepid reporter will once again be forced to work for an akuma." Alya said into the camera. "This is the price I am more than willing to pay to give y'all the best footage of Ladybug and Cat Noir in Paris."

That was when she had a brilliant idea, why not film the scene of her getting captured, it would get a lot of views and was something she had never done before. Thinking quickly Alya looked around and found a convenient ledge about halfway down the alley. Propping her phone on the ledge, Alya made sure that she could see the camera as she made her final statement.

"This is a Ladyblog first." She said as she looked down at the slowly approaching minions. "I am about to record my own capture and likely incorporation into the minion horde of this latest akuma to terrorize Paris on behalf of Hawk Moth. I will provide commentary on this experience later, when the time comes to upload this recording that is, but until then we can only hope that Ladybug and Cat Noir are successful once again in taking down this akuma. Alya, out."

That was when the first minion reached her. It seemed that the minions were similar to those that Zombizou created a few months back and could make you join their ranks with a touch. Great Alya thought as she felt the transformation take hold, another tough challenge for Ladybug and Cat Noir to deal with.

* * *

"Marinette!"

Marinette turned to see Alya, Nino and Adrien heading over to her, her best friend the one calling her name. Marinette and Cat Noir had just defeated the latest akuma, who had struck while the four of them had been hanging out, and she needed to think of an excuse to give them for why she had run away as soon as the akuma attacked. Oddly so had Adrien, not that Alya or Nino had noticed as Alya was too busy running towards the attack to film it while Nino had decided to remain put and wait the attack out where he was and observe from a distance.

"Hey Alya." Marinette said as her friends arrived, she was trying not to look at Adrien for fear that her feelings would once again get the better of her and render her incoherent. "Did you see the akuma?"

"See it, I was one of its minions!" Alya said with a happy smile. "I even filmed my own capture so that will be a whole new thing for the Ladyblog. Of course, as part of the transformation I lost my memory of the events leading up to being transformed so I have no idea where I filmed it. As such, I have lost my phone, but it was totally worth it. Where did you run off too?"

"Oh I, I ran home." Marinette said lamely hoping no one picked up on her lie. "After my grandmother was akumatized on my birthday my parents wanted to make sure that whenever there was an akuma attack I went straight home."

"Yeah that's what my dad insists on as well." Adrien said and Marinette looked at him curiously. Adrien looked like he was lying but he was so cute when he did so that the thought disappeared from Marinette's mind as she blushed and looked away, almost missing the second part of Adrien's statement.

"You know cos he wants to make sure I am always safe."

"Well can you please help me find it?" Alya asked. "This could be one of my best videos for the Ladyblog. It would have been better live but alas I have no data left for that."

"What? Oh yeah, of course I can help." Marinette said. "Do you remember where you last were?"

"The attack was isolated to some small square near here." Nino said. "At least that was where Alya ran off to when the attack started. I think we should split up and look. The akuma attack was only just defeated so it will be the best time to check before people start returning to the area."

"Good thinking." Alya said.

"Unfortunately, I can't come." Adrien said sadly. "I have a Chinese lesson soon and what with the recent attack, my dad will want me to be home as soon as possible seeing as I didn't make it back during the attack."

Marinette felt her heart drop at the missed chance to spend some time with her crush, but she understood why he had to go. It was for the best that he stuck to his schedule as it kept him in his dad's good books and kept him coming to school so that Marinette could see him. Otherwise she might lose him forever.

"Dude, your father has got to let up someday." Nino said shaking his head as he and Adrien fist bumped each other.

"Someday he will but not till I am 18 I think." Adrien said with a sigh. "Bye Alya, Marinette."

With that Adrien waved at them and walked away. Marinette was left awkwardly waving at the retreating Adrien who was walking over to his bodyguard. The gorilla of a man was looking annoyed waiting for Adrien by the parked car he always drove.

"Bye Adrien." Marinette finally managed to get out as Adrien was whisked away.

"Er Marinette he's gone." Alya said breaking Marinette out of her stupor and smiling at her. "Now come on, help me find my phone. It might be dead by now though so calling it might not work."

Marinette nodded and followed Alya and Nino back to the square where she had fought the akuma. While Nino and Alya went to where Alya could last remember seeing the akuma, Marinette in hopes of not revealing that she had been here, went to the edges to see if Alya had dropped her phone when she was turned into a minion.

As Marinette was looking she noticed the small alley that she had transformed in at the end of the fight. Marinette had used her lucky charm before Cat Noir had used his cataclysm, so she had been forced to flee first as she would time out sooner than he would. Not expecting to find Alya's phone there Marinette decided to check anyway, it was a useful alley to flee into or to use to transform back into her civilian attire.

Of course, Marinette's luck would mean that as she walked through the alley she would find the phone right in the center of the alley. It wasn't hard to recognize Alya's phone what with the ladybug charm on it. Picking it up Marinette turned the phone over to realize that it was both still on and still recording everything. Turning the recording off Marinette was about to lock the phone, leave the alley, and return said phone to Alya when Tikki suddenly flew in front of her face, a frantic look on her cute little face.

"Marinette! What are you doing?" Her kwami asked in a hushed, slightly panicked, voice.

"Returning Alya's phone to her." Marinette said looking around to make sure no one would see her kwami floating there. "As I said I would."

"Don't you remember that you transformed back into Marinette in this alley." Tikki said and Marinette's eyes went wide at the memory. She had remembered that this was the alley that she had transformed in but as soon as she had found Alya's phone she had only been focused on returning it to her best friend and not the implications of the phone being here when she transformed could be.

"Merde." Marinette swore.

"Exactly." Tikki said. "I suggest you watch that recording to make sure that it didn't catch you transforming back into Marinette. Remember no one can know of your secret identity."

"I know." Marinette said as fear crept into her voice.

Once again making sure that she was alone, Marinette thanked the gods of luck that she had not locked Alya's phone and proceeded to go to where the recording would have been saved. It didn't take long to find it a once she did Marinette skipped to where she thought that she had entered the alley. Sure enough the recording had perfectly captured Ladybug, though not Tikki as it couldn't capture her, transferring back into Marinette in full view of the camera.

The surprise caused Marinette to almost drop the phone in shock. She knew that she had to erase it at once. She hated doing so as she knew that this was a good recording that Alya had been happy about, but she promised herself that she would make it up to her best friend. An exclusive one on one interview with both her and Cat Noir that Alya can live stream should do nicely to make up for deleting this particular recording.

The recording was still playing while Marinette had been thinking and as she was about to exit it so that she could delete the file, she saw that Cat Noir had entered the alley only seconds after she as Marinette had left it. The sight of her crime fighting partner appearing so soon after she had left shocked her and caused her to pause her actions. That had been a close call. Had he arrived seconds earlier the Cat Noir would have found out who she was, but why was Cat Noir in this alley to begin with.

Naturally that thought was answered a second later when to Marinette's utter shock Cat Noir looked around surreptitiously before he let his own transformation drop. This time she did drop Alya's phone when she realized who Cat Noir was. He was Adrien!

The revelation that Cat Noir was Adrien, and finding out without Adrien's permission, caused Marinette to seize up from the myriad of emotions all bombarding her at once. The boy that she was in love with was also her superhero partner who shamelessly flirted with her every time they were together and who Marinette knew had a crush on Ladybug. That meant that Adrien had a crush on her! He liked her back, her feelings were reciprocated! That revelation was even greater than finding out that Adrien was Cat Noir.

"Well Marinette, what are you going to do?" Tikki asked her breaking Marinette out of her shock and sending her crashing back to reality. "You were both caught on camera transforming back. Be thankful that Alya wasn't live streaming this like she usually does, and it was only a recording, or else all of Paris would have known both of yours secrets."

"Merde, you're right Tikki this is really bad isn't it?" Marinette asked and her kwami nodded at this. "I guess there is only one thing to do."

"And that is?" Tikki asked.

"I am going to send the recording to myself." Marinette said as she picked up Alya's phone, thankful that it wasn't that badly damaged from the fall as Alya had put a shock resistant case on her phone, and in a matter of moments Marinette had sent the recording to her own phone. "Then I am going to delete all copies of it that are on Alya's phone, including the text message. I hate doing this to Alya, but I have to, it's for mine and Adrien's protection."

"That is the best decision." Tikki said with a small nod. "I know it isn't a good thing to do but it is the right thing to do and the only real decision you could make. You have to protect your identity and now Adrien's as well. Wait why are you sending a copy to yourself?"

Marinette just ignored her kwami as she deleted the message to herself, the recording and the backup of the recording that Marinette knew Alya always had just in case Marinette accidentally deleted a recording again. Once she was done Marinette double checked everything to make sure that all possible copies had been deleted and then locked Alya's phone. Nodding to herself Marinette began to head back to the square to find Alya and return her phone to her, Tikki zooming into her bag to hide.

As soon as Marinette exited into the courtyard she saw Alya and ran over to her best friend. It appeared that Nino had left and Alya was now looking on her own.

"Alya, I found it." Marinette said as she ran over to her friend waving Alya's phone above her head.

Of course, in classic Marinette fashion she proceeded to trip over her own feet and fall flat on her face, throwing Alya's phone into the air in the process. It seemed Alya had been anticipating something like this and was already running to catch her phone before it hit the ground. As Marinette got up and dusted herself off, thanking her luck that she hadn't hurt herself from the fall, other than her pride, she went over to Alya.

"Merde." Alya swore as she looked through her phone. "It looks like I didn't actually set up the recording. I thought I had but it's been so long since I just recorded and not live streamed an akuma attack that I guess I made a mistake."

"Oh, that's a shame." Marinette said, inwardly sighing in relief that Alya chalked up the missing recording to her own mistake and didn't realize that Marinette had deleted it. "I'm sure Ladybug would be willing to make it up to you."

"You think?" Alya asked.

"Course she would." Marinette said. "Just ask her next time you see her. Your blog is the most popular news site for Ladybug and Cat Noir because you tell it how it is. You don't deceptively edit it, cherry pick the best parts that lead to misleading depictions of Ladybug and Cat Noir, or outright lie about her the way some of the mainstream sites do."

"Well she deserves to be shown for who is she and not what people want her to be." Alya said putting her phone away. "Or what they think will generate the best ratings. Now come on, let's go find something to do. Nino is off to a prepare for a gig tonight so it's just us girls now. What do you want to do?"

"Something fun and relaxing." Marinette said with a laugh as Alya put an arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the square and back into the heart of Paris.

* * *

"Tikki what the hell am I going to do with this recording?" Marinette asked her kwami.

Marinette paced her room back and forth as she ranted to her kwami. After she had enjoyed an ice cream with Alya, Marinette had returned home to deal with the current situation she found herself in. Marinette had instantly gone to her room and was now pacing it. She had been pacing for several minutes before she finally asked Tikki what she was supposed to do now. She had a recording of herself and Cat Noir changing back into civilian form and she had no idea what to do with it. She also had to deal with the fact that her crush was Cat Noir and that he liked her back.

"Well the answer is obvious isn't it." Tikki said, her kwami had been floating by Marinette's head while she had been pacing with a worried look on her little face. "Delete it and never speak of it again."

"I wish it were that that simple." Marinette said shaking her head. "But I can't just delete it and forget about it."

"Why not?" Tikki said. "You protected your identity by removing the footage from Alya's phone, the longer it is on your phone the higher the chance of someone else seeing it and discovering bot yours and Cat Noir's secret identities."

"I can't because it's wrong that I know and Adrien doesn't." Marinette said voicing the worries she had been having about the recording ever since she had found it. "I found out without his consent and that is wrong in my books. Plus, I feel like if I know his secret then I should trust him with mine, it is the fair and right thing to do."

"Well you two weren't supposed to find out each other's identities to begin with." Tikki pointed out. "But now that you do know it is best to keep it with just one of you two knowing."

"I understand your logic Tikki, but I can't in good conscious do that." Marinette said shaking her head at Tikki. "It's wrong for me to know and for Adrien to still be in the dark about it."

"Are you thinking with your head or your heart Marinette?" Tikki asked causing Marinette to stop her pacing and look confused at her kwami. "Cos you know you are in love with Adrien, so I am worried that your heart is clouding your judgement."

"My feelings for Adrien have nothing to do with this." Marinette said defensively before sighing, even she didn't believe that lie, her feelings had everything to do with this. "Ok so I am thinking about my feelings for him as well. I just learned that the boy I love is Cat Noir and that he has feelings for me as well. It's a little hard to comprehend."

"I know that it is hard but don't let them cloud your judgement." Tikki said calmly. "It might make you do something rash. Think with your brain, not your heart, that's what Athena always told me."

"Yeah we know that I have been rash before when I let my feelings for Adrien cloud my judgement." Marinette said with a hint of remorse. "I won't forget the Lila incident anytime soon, I was like Chloe that day and she was by far the most deliberate akuma I have created. Back to the issue at hand though, think of it like this Tikki, I am a mess around Adrien and now that I know he is Cat Noir how do you think I will be around him as Ladybug."

"The same as you would be when you are Marinette." Tikki said with a sigh. "Are you sure this is a good decision though?"

"Good, no, right, yes." Marinette said. "We shouldn't know at all but now that I know who Cat Noir is, especially given that his secret identity is the boy I have been in love with for about 2 years, it is the right decision. I cannot function around either Adrien or Cat Noir until I come clean what I know and who I am. It's a mixture of guilt, fear and love. This is the right call Tikki, I know it is in both my heart and brain."

"It is probably the right, not the smart, call." Tikki said relenting. "Not something Athena would approve of but the wisdom goddess never was as smart as she thought she was. Perhaps the time has come for you both to know, the fates work in mysterious ways and have done so again today. How are you going to tell him though?"

"I'm going to show him the full recording of both of us transforming." Marinette said as she pulled her phone out and deliberately ignoring Tikki's odd reference to a mythical Greek Goddess, again. "But first I have to get him here."

"Er Marinette, you have tried that numerous times and failed." Tikki pointed out. "How will you manage this time?"

"This time I have to face my fears head on and take the plunge." Marinette said determinedly. "It is the right thing to do and I am Ladybug, I can do anything. Also, it has to be done so I really have no choice. I will have to lie to get him here, but it is for the greater good in the end and may not be a lie as I have been working on the designs for some time."

"Oh, that is a good excuse to get him here." Tikki said with a nod but Marinette just ignored her kwami and taking a deep breath began to type out a message to Adrien.

* * *

Adrien was at his desk finishing off his homework for the week. He had just had his Chinese lesson and had decided to do his work so that he could have more time for Cat Noir activities when they came up, they were after all the only time he got to spend with Ladybug. The fight today had been routine and as always Adrien pined after Ladybug during and afterwards, someday she would be his.

He was broken out of his thoughts by his phone going off. Looking at it he saw that it was a text from Marinette. Unlocking his phone, he read the sudden message from his shy, clumsy friend.

 **Marinette:** Hey Adrien. Sorry to bother you at random and I know you are very, very, busy, but could you come around, I really need your help and expertise. As you well know I am really into fashion, but my skills are limited to female and non-gender specific clothes like hats, gloves, and scarves. I have several designs for men, but I am not exactly sure how good they are as I don't have the body to model them, especially not a body like yours. I was wondering if you could find the time to come over and give me a few pointers on my designs and styles so as to make me a better designer, if you can that is. Again, so sorry to bother you.

"What's that?" Plagg asked as he hovered over with a wedge of cheese in his paws.

"Message from Marinette." Adrien said not looking at his kwami but rereading the sudden message with a little confusion. "She wants me to come around and help her with her male fashion designs. I know jack shit about clothes design, I just model them so why would she want me around."

"Er cos she likes you." Plagg said as he gulped down the cheese wedge whole. "It's pretty obvious that she wants to spend some alone time with you and she is using the best commonality between the two of you in order to achieve that."

"What? Marinette doesn't like me like that, she's just a good friend." Adrien said this time confused by what his kwami, and not Marinette, was saying. "She's just a fan that's all. That's why she has all my modeling pictures. Also, she is really into fashion design, it is why I invited her to that photo shoot a few weeks back. I guess I could go help her if dad allows it. I can probably spin it so that he gets something out of as well, that will help me get his permission."

"Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Hathor, Xochiquetzal, Prenda, Astghik, Aine, Qetesh, Yue-Lao, Turan, Kama, Milda, Dzydzileya, Siebog, Ziva, Osun, one of you gods damned love deities I beg you, please can one of you just cure Adrien of his damn blindness." Plagg wailed dramatically to the sky though Adrien wasn't paying any attention to his kwami as he began to reply to Marinette's message.

* * *

Marinette was pacing again when her phone went off in her hand signaling Adrien's reply to her message. Shaking, Marinette stopped pacing and opened the message from Adrien.

 **Adrien:** Hey Marinette! I would love to come over and help, I know how into fashion you are. I will need permission from dad though. Don't worry I have a plan. He is always on the lookout for new designs, so I will pitch it to him as me looking at designs from a gifted, young, designer who knows my style and promise to see if there are some that he might like. I'll get back to you as soon as I know.

Marinette almost feinted when she read the message with bated breath. Adrien wanted to come around, he just needed permission and he had said that she was a gifted designer who might have a few of her designs looked at by Gabriel Agreste himself. She was flustered by the whole thing but still happy. Now all she needed to do was wait for Adrien's reply and then find the courage to show him the recording of them transforming back into civilians. It didn't take long for Adrien's second reply to come through.

 **Adrien:** Dad said ok so long as I show him a few designs and that if he approves of any you make him a prototype on your own dime (you will be reimbursed if he approves of it). I'll head over right away as I am done with homework now.

This time Marinette did collapse, fortunately she was near her chaise and fell onto it in joy, a wide smile plastered across her face. Adrien was coming around and she might even get one or two of her designs produced by Gabriel Agreste if he agreed with Adrien's assessments and her prototypes.

"He's coming Tikki!" Marinette said still barely believing it. "Now I just need to find the strength to show him the recording."

"I am sure you will find it." Tikki said with a smile. "As you said, you are Ladybug after all. What about the pictures?"

"It's not like Adrien hasn't already seen them." Marinette said waving her hand at them. "Though him being Cat Noir does explain how he knew of the hidden ones I keep. Besides, once this is done I might have the strength to final confess my feelings for him seeing as he reciprocates them."

"At least something good can come of this." Tikki said.

Marinette just nodded as she began to make sure her room was tidy and anything that was really embarrassing was hidden. It was going to be an agonizing wait for Adrien to show up, but she knew that in the end it would be worth it.

* * *

Adrien knocked on Marinette's bedroom trapdoor and patiently waited for it to be opened. He had headed over to her place, with his bodyguard of course, as soon as his father had given Adrien his permission that Adrien could leave. Adrien had pitched the idea to his father as a scouting mission for new designs given Marinette's ability and his father had agreed on the condition that he bring back the best designers so that Gabriel could look at them and see if any worked with the company's style. His father was always on the lookout for local talent that would be cheap to use but Adrien didn't care, he was just glad to get out and see a friend.

Of course, he had to deal with Marinette's nice parents when he arrived. He was used to making pleasantries with people because of his father, but Marinette's parents meant them. It was nice to see parents that cared about their child and her friends rather than try and shut them in from the rest of the world. Marinette might find it embarrassing but Adrien thought it was sweet. It had taken a few minutes to break away from them but now he was at Marinette's trapdoor and waiting for it open.

Moments later there was a slight crash, a squeal, and finally the trap door opening. Adrien smiled as he entered the room. Marinette was known for her clumsiness and judging by the overturned chair he saw upon entering she had fallen out of it when he had knocked. Shaking his head Adrien entered her illegally pink room as Marinette closed the trapdoor behind him.

Adrien looked around the room, this was the first time he had been back here since the Troublemaker incident though Marinette didn't know that. Marinette hadn't tried to hide the many pictures of him, he was sure there were more now than when he was last here, as there was no point. Adrien already knew about them so there was no need for Marinette to remove them in his presence.

"Where are your designs?" Adrien asked awkwardly as he turned to face Marinette. "Dad wants me to bring back anything good for his personal opinion on them."

Marinette wasn't looking at him but looking down at the carpet, her foot twitching slightly. Adrien could see a faint blush on Marinette's face and not for the first time since the Troublemaker incident did Adrien have a suspicion that Marinette might be more than a fan of his. It was only a fleeting feeling however.

"In a moment." Marinette said in a timid voice and Adrien noticed that she was fiddling with her phone. "I, I need to show y-you something else f-first."

"Ok what?" Adrien asked confused.

"I, I took this from Alya's phone when I found it earlier." Marinette said finally looking at him and Adrien could have sworn he saw the same determination in her bluebell eyes that he saw in Ladybug's every time they were together, it was one of the many things that he loved about Ladybug. "You know when she lost it during that akuma attack earlier today. Don't worry this is the only copy that exists, and I intend to delete it once you have seen it. We, we need to be more careful in the future."

Adrien was very confused now, especially by that last part. Marinette just pressed a button on her phone and handed it Adrien. Quirking an eyebrow Adrien took the phone and looked down at the screen. Adrien watched a scene from an alley somewhere. For a few seconds there was nothing and then Ladybug appeared and looked around cautiously, it was a look Adrien knew well as it was the one that he used when he needed to make sure a place was safe to transform in. As he watched Ladybug's transformation fell and Marinette was left standing in her place. She pulled a cookie from her purse, the cookie floated for a minute before vanishing, clearly being eaten by a kwami who couldn't be caught on camera, Marinette then closed her purse and ran off out of the alley.

To say Adrien was shocked would have been the understatement of the century. His mouth fell open and he looked at Marinette, at Ladybug. The woman he loved was his classmate, this was almost too much to comprehend but Adrien knew he loved her regardless of who she was under the mask. He had fallen for Ladybug, with or without the mask, and now he had a face to put to his crush. A face that in hindsight was basically Ladybug's minus the mask and he cursed himself for not realizing that Marinette was Ladybug given the now painfully obvious similarities between the two.

"Keep watching." Marinette said quietly, knowing full well the bit he was on. "There's, there's more."

Adrien looked down at the phone just in time to see that he was now standing there as Cat Noir and about to transform back. He had used the alley as a convenient location to transform once he had finished defeating the akuma. He hadn't realized how close he had been to finding out who Ladybug was or the camera recording both of their transformations. Still shocked he slowly handed the phone back to Marinette.

"We are lucky that Alya couldn't live stream it or else all of Paris would have seen both of our secret identities." Marinette said as she tapped her screen a moment before adding. "It has been deleted now. Alya thinks she made the mistake so we are in the clear, but we fucked up today Adrien, we need to be more careful in the future."

"Yeah, yeah we do." Adrien said finally coming back to the issue and looking at his lady. "Why did you tell me about this? You didn't need to, I wouldn't have minded if you knew who I was and I didn't know who you were."

"I know but I felt it was the right thing to do." Marinette said, and Adrien smiled, it was a very Ladybug to do the honorable thing and Adrien could see why Marinette had been chosen by Master Fu to be Ladybug. "I found out without your permission and if I knew your secret then I felt that it was only fair that I should trust you with my secret as well. Plus, the way I found out was cos of a mistake both of us made so you needed to see that mistake as well. We need to be more careful going forward and now that we both know the other's secret we can protect them and keep an eye out for cameras whenever we transform."

"You're right as always, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile. "So, what's next for us now that we know each other's secrets."

* * *

Marinette felt her eye twitch and something in her snapped. Had he really just asked what was next when that was obvious as fuck. She was fed up with Adrien being this blind about her blatant feelings for him. Seriously how could he not have realize that she liked him or at the very least tried to ask her out now that he knew that she was Ladybug. It was time to be as subtle as sledgehammer to the face.

Running across the gap between the pair in her room Marinette jumped into Adrien's arms and the surprise of he move managed to tackled him to the ground. She knew that she was behaving like Chloe, but she no longer cared, the time for subtlety was gone, the time for action was now. She was now straddling Adrien's waist on her floor pinning him there. Adrien had a look of surprise on his face, but he clearly wasn't complaining about the position. Neither was Marinette, it was a position she had fantasized about, in various different ways, for a long time but even as she felt the blush come to her checks she forced it down as now was not the time for that. Deciding that action was best, Marinette bent down and kissed Adrien hard on his mouth.

The kiss almost instantly softened as she felt Adrien melt into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing her body against his. The tension left Marinette and she knew that she had finally made her point to Adrien. Eventually though the kiss had to end. Still as Marinette pulled away the new couple stayed in the same position. This time though they were only inches apart as Marinette stared down and into Adrien's gorgeous green eyes.

"So, I can assume that you do actually like like me and that is the real reason for all the pictures of me." Adrien said with that smile that Marinette loved so much.

"It would be more accurate to say that I love you and have for a long time." Marinette admitted and this time she couldn't force down her blush. "I actually removed all the pictures when you came over to practice for that Mecha Strike 3 tournament."

"Well I love you too, bugaboo." Adrien said and Marinette's heart soared at the words she had longed to hear for nearly 2 years now. "I'm glad it's all on the open and we are finally together."

"Same." Marinette said as she bent down and kissed Adrien again. Once again, she melted into the kiss and enjoyed the bliss of finally being with Adrien.

 **I was planning on adding a brief kwami scene at the end but felt that it was a bit much, if y'all want that I can add it at some point. One note here is that all the love deities that Plagg mentioned in this chapter do exist in various myths and folklore and are taken from the Wikipedia page on love deities. I only took the ones that would be applicable to the situation, those being romantic love and not lust, sex, fertility, or specifically homosexual love deities. Anyway, keep the prompts coming, so far 5 suggested prompts are in the works but the more I have to work with the longer this series progresses after the ultimate reveal in Miraculous Ladybug, also the better the prompts are as y'all suggest much better ideas than I can come up with on my own. As usual next week's oneshot will be released on time and keep the prompts coming and letting me know what you think of this series in the reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	16. Prank

**Here is the 16th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested by the same supporter who suggested last week's prompt. This is a short and simple one, the shortest oneshot since 'Inconsistencies' (also amusingly part of this oneshot is set on the very day this story was published, March 31st). Please forgive my absolutely terrible puns, I am very bad at them but I had to try for this oneshot. Now sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series. Prank.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Prank** **\- Alya has a great idea for how to prank Marinette for April fool's day but she needs Adrien's help. Adrien reluctantly agrees to provide the voice and cat puns for Alya's prank, a nightly rendition of cat puns for Marinette to wake her and annoy her. Alya thinks it is just a harmless prank but when it continues for a full week, Marinette becomes sleep deprived. In her fragile state she snaps when Cat Noir says a cat pun and reveals a little too much. It was just supposed to be a harmless prank.  
**

* * *

 **Prank**

"Adrien!" A female voice called causing Adrien to look up from the bench he was sitting on. Alya and Nino were running over to him in the courtyard of their school, for some reason Alya had a small black thing in her hand and was waving it at him.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Adrien asked as his friends arrived.

"Sup dude, Alya has a great idea and I thought you could help us with it." Nino said a little breathlessly. "Tell him babe."

"Right, well we have decided that for April fool's day, which is in a few days, we are going to prank Marinette." Alya said with a wicked smirk. "She got me last year, so I have got the perfect plan to get my revenge on her. I got the idea a while back and have been working on it for months, it's perfect."

"You know I'm not big on pranks, right?" Adrien pointed out. "I know that they are supposed to be harmless fun but growing up with Chloe and what she calls pranks often just looked cruel to me. Plus, they seem to constantly end up with someone being akumatized."

"Please, Marinette is so optimistic and happy that she would never get akumatized." Alya said brushing off the comment. "Besides, it's only Chloe's pranks, which are in deed cruel, that lead to people getting akumatized."

"Didn't Chloe almost get Marinette akumatized on Ms. Bustier's birthday." Adrien said remembering the incident. "Ms. Bustier managed to calm Marinette down but got fearful of the akuma when she saw it so it akumatized her instead. Isn't that what Marinette said?"

"Well yeah she said that but that was a one-time thing." Alya scoffed. "After what Ms. Bustier said to her, Marinette knows better. She knows that she has to be herself and not let Chloe get to her because Marinette is better than Chloe. Besides, this will be so much better if you are part of it."

"Trust me dude." Nino added in support of Alya. "It's just some harmless fun. Everyone does shit like this for April fool's day, it's normal and part of being a teen."

"Fine I will hear the prank out and then decide if I want to be a part of it." Adrien said knowing that they wouldn't leave unless he at least heard them out first. "But if this goes tits up you leave me out of it and take the full blame for it. I remember that gum incident, I still think Marinette doesn't fully like me cos of it."

"Trust me, you are fine, Marinette has no ill feelings for you, only very positive ones." Alya said with a wink that confused Adrien as to what she was implying. "As for the prank, it is a simple one. I have a stuffed black cat that one of my subscribers sent me as I do like, but don't expect, gifts from my fans for my work. I am going to record a bunch of cat puns on this recording device in my hand and then put it in the cat, after some surgery on the plush cat, and hide it in Marinette's room. She has a strange, annoyed, and at times funny reaction to cat puns for some reason so I figured it would be funny for her to hear them one night while she tried to sleep. Whenever someone says one or mentions them after an akuma attack it is as if she has heard them all before and finds them tedious for some reason. Personally I enjoy Cat Noir's puns as they lighten the mood of the fights they engage in."

"How will you control this recording?" Adrien asked, secretly pleased that at least some people appreciated his wit.

Adrien had to admit to himself that he was getting curious about this prank, though more because of the shear level of effort that Alya had put into this prank. Whatever Marinette had done in the past must have really been annoying for Alya to plan such an elaborate revenge prank. Also, for some reason when something was tantalizing, a little risky, and for some reason slightly destructive, Adrien found it hard to resist being curious about it and even partaking in it from time to time.

"Oh, that is simple." Alya said as she held up the black thing that was the recording device. "I control this recorder from my phone, I had Max set it up as such. I will turn it on in the middle of the night to freak her out and then tell her in a week or so that it was me so that she knows that I got her back after being confused for a while. It will be hilarious."

"You seem to have it down to have it all well planned and in hand." Adrien said. "So why do you need me?"

"Cos dude, you are great at cat puns." Nino said causing Adrien to use every modeling muscle in his body to not react to his best friend's statement. He had been foolish at some point and let his playful catlike nature out around his best friend and that could give away his secret identity.

"I am?" Adrien asked feigning confusion. "I didn't realize I even made cat puns, I'm not the most creative person in the world."

"Dude, you are the best." Nino said happily, clearly not realizing how close he was to figuring out that Adrien was Cat Noir. "Well second best after Cat Noir but no one is at his level. However, you can be so inventive with them. Normally you say them when no one is paying attention and you are distracted with something, but I hear you bro. They're awesome. Hell, you even sound a little like Cat Noir when you say them. Not perfect mid you, no one is as slick as that cool kitty, but pretty close."

"And at 3am when I plan to set them off Marinette will be too tired and half asleep to realize that it isn't Cat Noir who is speaking." Alya said with glee. "The cat plush is more for aesthetics than anything else. It adds ambiance to the puns and will be hilarious when she finds out that it was what was making the puns. Plus, I have a feeling that she will forgive me and Nino once she realizes that it was your voice that was keeping her up all night, and not just in her dreams for once."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien asked confused at Alya's last statement, Marinette didn't dream about him, they were just friends after all.

"Seriously dude?" Nino said as he face palmed himself, the action just increased Adrien's confusion to the situation. "You really need to learn a few things about girls, but this is not for me to talk about. It is for you to figure out on your own."

"Er, ok." Adrien said still confused at all the stuff about Marinette. At least they didn't think he was Cat Noir which was good. He couldn't let his secret get out just because he had foolishly made several cat puns.

"So, you will do it?" Alya asked as Nino finished his groan at Adrien's oblivion to Marinette's feelings.

"I will help but if Marinette doesn't appreciate this you forced me to help and you two take all the blame for the fallout." Adrien said, he wasn't going to get in the middle of a prank war between Alya and Marinette. "Understand?"

"Of course we do." Alya said happily. "But you have to give us your best puns and do your best Cat Noir impression. This has to be as authentic as possible for maximum effect."

"Very well I will try my best but I am no Cat Noir." Adrien said with a carefree smile to help throw them off his scent. "No one can emulate his magnificence."

"Thanks dude." Nino said slapping Adrien on the shoulder. "You made Alya happy which means she will make me happy so thanks."

"Come on you two let's get to work." Alya said as she marched off. "I want to get this cat in Marinette's room as soon as possible. April fool's day is the day after tomorrow."

Adrien just shrugged and followed Alya. She led the boys to an empty classroom where she proceeded to put the recording device in front of Adrien and turned it on. Adrien put on his best Cat Noir voice, it wasn't hard to do that, but changed it slightly so that it wasn't actually his superhero persona and began to say random cat puns. The more he spoke the more they flowed from him the way they naturally did as Cat Noir and he got some surprisingly good ones in for them. Hopefully this wouldn't tip Alya and Nino off to him being Cat Noir but they seemed too preoccupied with the prank to notice.

By the end of the recording Alya was ecstatic and ran off to sort it out. all Adrien hoped was that this wasn't going to come back and bite him in the ass, but he couldn't see how a harmless prank that he wasn't even really a part of could do that. It wasn't like Marinette was Ladybug and knew both Cat Noir's voice and puns better than anyone else, he had avoided using m'lady or bugaboo during the recording session but that was only to prevent his friends from figuring out that he was Cat Noir. Marinette shouldn't realize that something was amiss, he hoped.

* * *

It was the next night and Alya could barely contain her laughter in her room. Earlier that day, March 31st, she had gone over to Marinette's to hang out with her best friend. While there Alya had hidden the plush cat, with the recording device now inside, somewhere in Marinette's room. Now as the clock ticketed past midnight and April fool's day began, Alya would strike and have her revenge.

Alya had checked before going to Marinette's that Adrien's Cat Noir impression could be heard from the cat and she was pleased to find that the sound was clear. It had also worked with her phone, so it was all a go. She had persuaded Max and Markov to set it up as an app on her phone so that she could control the device from her phone at a safe distance. It had been a complex bit of tech, but Max had enjoyed the challenge and Alya was going to endorse the app on the Ladyblog so that more people got interested in Max's technical skills.

Now though, it was time for her revenge. Alya went to the app in her phone that allowed her to control the device in the cat. It worked via the internet though Alya had not really questioned Max's technical explanation for precisely how it worked as it had gone way over her head. All she cared about was that it worked.

Alya selected the sporadic function which meant that it would go off with a handful of puns then fall silent for half an hour before going off again. Alya set the time for it to begin at 3am and last until 5am before shutting off. Marinette wasn't going to know what hit her. Alya smiled as she hit the button to activate the device, revenge was a dish best served with a meow.

As Alya went to sleep, looking forward to seeing a tired and annoyed Marinette in the morning so she could gloat about her prank, well after a few days of letting Marinette be confused while Alya denied her involvement, she wasn't looking at her phone. If she had she would have noticed that she had accidentally hit the daily repeat function on the app as well as the other setting she had inputted into the app. It was not going to be a pleasant week for Marinette.

* * *

Marinette was peacefully asleep, dreaming of a romantic slow dance with Adrien as was normal when she heard it. At first it was a faint sound that annoyed her in the middle of a good dream. Then it happened again, clearer this time. When it happened a third time she shot up in bed confused and looking around her dark room for the odd sound.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes Marinette groaned and checked her clock. It was just after 3am. Something had woken her, and she had no idea why. Then it went off again.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue."

That sounded a lot like Cat Noir, right down to the annoying cat based pun. Marinette blearily looked around her room. She was confused and annoyed at the sudden sound but too tired to do anything about it. Thinking it was just some random noise in her sleep addled mind, Marinette went back to sleep grumbling about spending too much time with Cat Noir that she was hearing his annoying puns in her dreams now.

"Feline good, cos your pawsome."

This pun came about half an hour later and Marinette shot up at the sound and looked around. Somehow Tikki was peacefully sleeping through it on the little pillow that Marinette had made her kwami a while back. Marinette was sure she hadn't been dreaming about it this time.

"Stay pawsitive, my furend."

This time Marinette did hear it and she could tell that it wasn't Cat Noir, at least she thought it wasn't him. It was someone who sounded an awful lot like her crime fighting partner but was just off the unique nature of Cat Noir and his playful puns but she couldn't be sure in her sleepy state. Certainly the guy speaking, she could tell that the voice was male and still slightly familiar to Marinette, was good at the annoying puns that Cat Noir did. He was even as fluid with the puns as the real thing.

"Pawlease pawdon the purruns, purrincess."

Marinette ground her teeth at that one, that was a lot even for the real Cat Noir. This was clearly a prank by someone to get back at her. She didn't know if it was Tikki deciding to play an in joke, it could well be given that the kwami was still asleep and ignoring the annoying cat puns, or it could be Alya. She wouldn't put it past her best friend to know how much cat puns annoyed her and use that to prank her. She had pranked Alya pretty good last April fool's day so this could be Alya's revenge for that prank. Marinette hoped that this was the last one so that she could go back to sleep and confront Alya about this shit in the morning.

"I'm meowvelous, aren't I."

Course it wasn't going to be that easy. Marinette rolled over in her bed and pulled her pillow around her ears. She was too tired and lazy to find the source now, but she would tomorrow. She was going to find this offending noise and destroy it.

"I would say that this is infurriating, but I am too purrfect to be annoying."

When the sound came half an hour later right as Marinette was once again on the cusp of sleep and she had to use all her self-restraint to no scream at it. Was this ever going to fucking stop?

* * *

Marinette was not happy. The shit with the cat puns had been going on for a full week now and she was exhausted. It went off several times every night between 3 and 5am and it was driving her mad. She got so little sleep as it was between her responsibilities in the bakery, homework and her service to Paris as Ladybug that these nightly interruptions were depriving her of her precious sleep and as such making matters worse.

While Marinette was used to surviving on limited sleep, that was part of the deal with being Ladybug, this was different as she usually got at least some sleep. Marinette was now clearly sleep deprived and it was showing to everyone who knew her. She was getting angrier easier, snapping more and honestly, she was surprised she had not been akumatized during this period, but Hawk Moth had been quiet lately. She knew that Alya was behind it, the girl couldn't control her giggles every time she saw Marinette, but her best friend was still denying any involvement and suggesting that she must be dreaming of Cat Noir every night.

Marinette was most certainly not dreaming of Cat Noir every night. She would be dreaming of Adrien every night if she could but unfortunately, she wasn't getting any sleep, so she wasn't actually able to dream at all, only lie in wait for the next terrible cat pun.

No matter how much she searched her room, with Tikki's help as her kwami had insisted on her innocence, Marinette couldn't find where the offending sound was coming from. It also didn't help that it went off every night at an inopportune hour, she was always too tired to look for it and because she couldn't look for it during the day based on the direction of the sound, she had no idea what she was actually looking for. She knew Alya had hidden whatever she was using to annoy Marinette somewhere but her sneaky best friend had outdone herself this time.

Marinette could respect the initial prank. It had been April fool's day and it had been a well thought out and executed prank. Alya had known her irritation at cat puns and had found someone who sounded a lot like Cat Noir to say them and then set them to go off at an annoying hour. Still, after a week it was getting a little much.

With a groan Marinette checked the time and realized that she had to transform. She had her weekly scheduled patrol with Cat Noir now. She was tired, grumpy and above all else not in the mood to deal with anymore fucking cat puns, but this was something she had to do for the protection of Paris so she might as well get it over with.

"Tikki, spots on." Marinette mumbled, and she transformed into Ladybug.

As soon as she was Ladybug she opened the trapdoor to her roof deck and swung away. Swinging through Paris using her yo-yo and superhero abilities was always fun and it did help her clear her head a bit as she made her way to the rooftop of Sorbonne University, tonight's meeting place for their patrol. She hoped that it would be an uneventful night so that she could go home early and go to sleep. That why she might get some sleep before the inevitable nightly cat puns began.

"Why hello m'lady." Cat Noir said with a toothy grin as soon as she landed on the rooftop, he had gotten here first as always. "You are looking feline as always."

Something in the way he said it caused Marinette to snap. The voice that bugged her every night in her room was almost like Cat's and she had had enough of these damn cat puns. Between her sleep deprived state and the fact that she was absolutely fed up with fucking cat puns, she snapped and acted without thinking. Had she been more rested she would not have done what she did.

"It was you who left that recording in my room wasn't it." Marinette yelled as she threw her yo-yo at Cat Noir. It encircled him, bound his arms to his sides and pulled him close to her so that she could get into his face, she was going to get answers now, one way or another. "You are the one who pranked me with fucking cat puns every goddam night for the last week. Admit it!"

* * *

"Why hello m'lady." Adrien said with a toothy grin as Ladybug arrived for their evening patrol. "You are looking feline as always."

Adrien saw Ladybug's eye twitch and realized that something was wrong. Her mask hid her eyes pretty well and as such he couldn't see the bags under them so he didn't realize that she sleep deprived but there was a wild, almost crazed look in her bluebell eyes. She was pissed and even with his sheltered upbringing, Adrien knew the golden rule, never, ever, piss off a woman, especially if she has superpowers.

"It's you who left that recording in my room wasn't it." Ladybug yelled as she threw her yo-yo at Cat Noir. It encircled him before he could react and pulled him close to her so that he couldn't move, Adrien could see the red in her eyes and could tell that she hadn't slept well recently. "You are the one who pranked me with fucking cat puns every goddam night for the last week. Admit it!"

That was when Ladybug's words hit Adrien and he realized what was going on. There was only one person he knew who had been experiencing what Ladybug was claiming to have experienced in the last week. Marinette. Alya had assured him that it was a one-night thing, but something must have gone wrong and caused it to happen every night so now Marinette was pissed. It also meant something else, something bigger; Marinette was Ladybug!

"I'm so, so, sorry Marinette, it wasn't my idea." He said defensively, instinctively using Marinette's name due to the situation. The way her eyes went wide at the mention of her real name confirmed his suspicions on who she was.

"I was asked by Alya and Nino at school the other day to help them prank you." Adrien continued, he knew he was babbling now but Marinette looked pissed and she might be akumatized if he didn't calm her down. Plus she was Ladybug and could probably beat him in a fight. "I agreed but only after a lot of persuasion that it was just a harmless, one off, prank. Alya said it was only for April fool's day, I didn't expect it to last longer."

"Wait, what?" Marinette asked her anger waning as confusion began to replace it on her face. "How did you know that it was Marinette who was getting pranked like that, or that I am Marinette for that matter. You said something about school, but I have never seen you at my school except as Cat Noir and I certainly haven't seen you there in a while."

"Because Alya approached my civilian form and not Cat Noir." Adrien said. He realized that he had said too much but the cat was out the bag now, so he might as well allow Marinette to figure out who he was, he knew who she was now so it was only fair that she found out his secret identity as well. "Nino had heard my puns in civilian form and thought that I would be purrfect for the job, for multiple reasons according to Alya."

"You go to my school?" Marinette asked, confused now and no longer angry seeing as he had just gotten away with an accidental cat pun. "Is that how you figured out who I was just now?"

"Yes." Adrien said. "That's how I knew it was you, Marinette, who was Ladybug when you snapped and explained what had been happening to you. Alya asked me to help prank you and you are the only person who I know who has been pranked that way. So, when you told me how you had been pranked I knew it was you behind the mask. Alya has no idea though, she was just pranking her best friend with the aid of her boyfriend and me. I am not a big fan of pranks, but I went along with it and I'm sorry about that."

"Where is the record device or whatever Alya is using to prank me?" Marinette asked.

"Where in your room I cannot say, Alya wouldn't say where she has hidden it." Adrien said, he was starting to lose circulation from the yo-yo string but there wasn't much he could do about that at the moment. "All I know is that the device is in a black stuffed cat somewhere in your room."

"Great, she just had to add that to the whole prank as well didn't she." Marinette mumbled. "Wait how do you know Alya? You said you go to the same school as me but surely I would know if Cat Noir was at the same school with me."

"I didn't realize you were at the same school as me until just now, bugaboo." Adrien said with a pained smiled from the yo-yo string. "But I am friends with Alya in civilian form, as I am with you."

"Huh?" Marinette asked as Adrien decided that it was best to just transform back into his civilian form to show her as she was too sleep deprived to get his hints. He knew her identity, it was time to finally reveal himself to the girl he loved and hoped that she liked him back.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said, and his transformation fell away.

* * *

Marinette had been angry and let her emotions and lack of sleep get the better of her earlier when she had attacked Cat Noir after his latest cat based pun. She had slipped in her accusation despite knowing that the recording didn't sound like him and had accidentally revealed herself to him, something she knew she wouldn't have done had she gotten a little more sleep this past week. The shock that he knew who she was, and that he had worked with Alya to prank her, and the confusion of it all had erased her anger.

Then there was the fact that he was at the same school as her but for the life of her she couldn't think who he was. Her sleep deprived mind wasn't putting two and two together. That was why she had kept questioning him, and because she wanted to know where Alya had hidden that damn recording of his voice, so that she could destroy it. She had not expected Cat Noir to suddenly decided to transform back into his civilian form.

As soon as she saw who Cat Noir was under his mask she let the yo-yo drop from her hand, the string releasing him and pooling at his feet. Her eyes went wide, her mouth fell open and she could feel the blush as it crept into her cheeks. This was too much for her to handle, all she could do while staring at the boy she loved was stutter out one word.

"A-Adrien."

 **Couldn't resist leaving it on an ending like this. This was the first sub 5,000 word oneshot since the 2nd oneshot. Next week's oneshot will be longer and will involve some non cannon pasts for the kwamis but that is how the prompt is set out and I will try my best to make it convincing. There may be a delay coming up due to real life shit but I will endeavor to get it out in time. As this series is one of my two active stories (along with Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 2: Equality) and the only one I actually write each new chapter every week after I upload on Saturdays (the other series has a full rough draft that only requires final edits), it will be the main focus of my free time instead of Book 4 in my Avatar series. Anyway enough admin shit, keep your suggestions coming as they are what makes this series great and keep letting me know what you think in the reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	17. History

**Here is my 17th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Once again I am sorry that this is so late, my only excuse is that because I am working at the moment I have not had the time to make final edits to this chapter so while I could have gotten it out over the weekend I wanted to make sure that it was proofread so that it could be the best I could make it. As with last time, I will release a bonus chapter (or two if I am late again) from my self-generated prompts list. However I will not announce when this bonus oneshots will be released other than after the 4th of August and before the 17th. This oneshot is the latest in a collection of great oneshots requested by the same person who has suggested several in the past including 'Memory', 'Recording', and 'Dreams'. I have had to take a few liberties with the series given the nature of this oneshot but they should make sense, I hope. That's enough admin shit for now, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, History.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **History** **– With Hawk Moth mysteriously inactive for the past few weeks Alya has gotten bored and the Ladyblog is suffering from the lack of akuma attacks. In an effort to spice it up Alya decides to do profiles on past Ladybugs and Cat Noirs to show the history of Paris' latest heroes. After days of badgering Marinette and Adrien for help they agree, secretly planning to get their kwamis to give them the needed info to satisfy Alya and not give themselves away in the process. Unbeknownst to them, Plagg and Tikki have their own plans for what to tell their humans and how to use their history to accomplish their goals.**

* * *

 **History**

"Come on Marinette, just help me with this, pleeeeeease." Alya pleaded over lunch and Marinette just groaned and tried to focus on the delicious meal her parents had prepared for her. "You know you want to help me."

For the last few days Alya had been pleading with her, Nino, Adrien and just about everyone else she knew, other than Chloe who would refuse to help Alya even if it was about Ladybug, at their school for aid with her latest, and largest, Ladyblog project. There hadn't been any akuma attacks recently, none for almost a month, and as such Alya's blog was suffering from the lack of coverage the attacks usually provided.

That was why Alya had come up with a novel idea to keep her viewers, subscribers, and the few donors who finically supported the blog, interested and engaged during the peaceful lull that Paris was experiencing. Marinette personally was enjoying the lack of attacks as it allowed her to finally catch up on her homework but after a month even she was missing the thrill of saving Paris and sticking it to Hawk Moth.

Alya had decided that in order to keep her followers interested, and to satisfy her own Ladybug passion, she was going to research and find all references to Ladybug and Cat Noir, or similar miraculous based heroes with other names or powers. Then she was going to publish profiles and histories on them on her Ladyblog for her viewers to read and discuss the former lives of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

In theory it was a good idea to spend the time while waiting for the next akuma attack but in practice it was turning into a nightmare for Alya and that was why she had started bugging her friends for help. Marinette knew that the nature of the miraculouses and the long history of holders had meant that there had been several holders from all over the world throughout history so finding out about them would be a nightmare and require a lot of research from global sources, several of which wouldn't be available in French or English.

Alya had tried on her own and was now begging them for help with her task as she had only found out about the pair that existed during the period of the Egyptian Pharaohs and that Joan of Arc, and an unknown French knight, had been Ladybug and Cat Noir in their day. It was always a pair and Marinette knew that there would be a reason for that, though she admitted that she didn't know what that reason would be. Other than those two, Alya had found nothing.

Only Nino had volunteered to help Alya with her research and that was only because he was dating her rather than actually wanting to help. Marinette had been hesitant to aid her best friend because while she could find out the full story of any former Ladybug by simply asking Tikki about one of her past humans, she didn't want to. This was because what Tikki would tell her would be so detailed and perfect that Alya might get suspicious of Marinette's sources of information when Alya hadn't found anything herself. However, it was getting to the point that Marinette was so tired of being harassed that she was going to get a story from Tikki and then abridge it, so she could pass off the relevant bare bones info to Alya. That way her best friend could do her own research on the historical Ladybug and come to her own conclusions and Marinette's identity would be safe.

"Come on Marinette." Alya begged again breaking Marinette out of her thoughts. "I know you like Ladybug, not as much as me but that's impossible as I am her biggest fan, and I know you can help me with this. It was you who found out about that Egyptian Ladybug after all. Please. Nino and Adrien have already agreed to help, you're the only holdout."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do." Marinette said with a sigh. She did like Ladybug more than Alya but that was because she was Ladybug, but she couldn't tell her best friend that. "However, I am not devoting my whole life to it. I will look whenever I have a spare moment but many things will take precedence though, alright?"

"That's fine." Alya said nodding happily. "I just need any help I can get so do what you can when you can."

"I'll do just that." Marinette said with a smile at Alya.

"Thank you bestie!" Alya said as she through her arms around Marinette and pulled her close.

Marinette just let her best friend hug her and sighed at having to do this. Hopefully Tikki would help her and give her a decent past Ladybug to tell Alya about. So long as Marinette made sure that it wasn't too detailed, or revealed things only a Ladybug would know, it shouldn't reveal Marinette's secret identity to Alya. There shouldn't be a problem with this plan if executed right and Marinette planned on nothing going wrong.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Marinette, her kwami was in her bag plotting exactly what to tell Marinette when she gave into Alya's demands and asked her for help with a past Ladybug so as to achieve what Tikki wanted. It hadn't been Tikki's plan originally but Plagg, who was in the bag with her right now and helping with the plotting, had persuaded her to go along with it.

This was because Plagg had finally talked her into accepting that the time for their humans to learn who the other was, was now. Plagg had pointed out that the pair trusted each other implicitly while in costume with everything but their identities. Then he pointed out that because they knew each other in real life, and the feelings between the pair that were prohibited by the masks, they should know who was under the other's mask. Not only would it help them protect Paris better as they can look out for each other in civilian form when an akuma attack happened and protect the other's identity, but it would end what Plagg called the accursed love square the pair were currently trapped in for reason he couldn't fathom.

Tikki couldn't help but agree to that last part. It was a classic Aphrodite move to fuck with mortal love lives and making sure that Marinette and Adrien's love lives were as complicated and frustrating as possible was right up the Greek love goddess's street. Of course, it could be one of the many other damned love deities who apparently got off on fucking with the love lives of humans and their humans were the latest targets. However, something like this was more in line Aphrodite's MO rather than Freya's or Ziva's style. Also, the Greek Goddess had had it in for Tikki for millennia after Tikki had refused to acquiesce to the goddess's constant love suggestions and attempted set ups.

"Remember that the stories we tell Marinette and Adrien respectively have to be factually identical in such a way that only we could have told them the story, which is easy as we can give certain details that only we would know." Tikki pointed out. "As great as our humans are, they are pretty oblivious to a lot that happens between them unless it is slapping them repetitively in the face."

"I am pretty sure that that still won't get through to Adrien." Plagg said with a laugh. "But I agree. Make sure that they know that the history we tell them could only have been told by one of us and that they then tell that history, abridged of course, to Alya, while giving details that will allow the other to figure out who's who. This ain't my first rodeo, that was when me and the Bull Kwami got blasted and ended up with some native America god riding a magical bull out in Yuma, good time, good times."

"Good, just have to make sure you stick to the truth and nothing but the truth as you do tend to embellish a little." Tikki admonished ignoring yet another no doubt true, drunken episode of her other half.

"One time I claim to have been the reason why Alexander the Great was so successful when I played a minimal part on his campaign and you keep reminding me of that." Plagg muttered sourly. "Well that and the claims I have made about Genghis Khan, King Richard the Lionheart, the 47 Ronin and Emperor Claudius. So what if my greatness gets carried away from time to time, there is just so much that it is hard to contain. Anyway, I still hate that we have to go around our humans and tell them in this hidden way and not directly."

"Yes, but rules are rules Plagg regarding the secrets of our bonds with humans and we can't break them." Tikki said with reproach in her voice. "Or do you remember what happened the last time you broke the secrecy rule."

"That has nothing to do with breaking the rule." Plagg said defensively as he crossed his arms and looked away from Tikki. "I owed Pluto a few gems and he decided to collect and haul my sexy tail off to the underworld until I found him the precise onyx jewels he desired. The fact that I had told my human your human's identity seconds before that happened was pure coincidence."

"And the time before that?" Tikki asked raising an eyebrow.

"Freya's cats wanted to play rough with me because of my irresistible pheromones, not to punish me for telling your Nordic lass that the boy who liked her was also a superhero cat man to help him impress her." Plagg said flexing a little. "And it was also not because I had stood them up on a date, well 6 dates but who's counting."

"And before that?"

"How was I supposed to know that the Darkness Guardian would want me to introduce her to the Alpanu after I said I knew the goddess, I just happened to be talking to my human about your human at the time." Plagg said with a shudder. "I was forced by her forced to watch what they did to each other in the bedroom. The horrors of their lovemaking still haunt me to this day but that's what you get when you mess with a goddess of sexual activity."

"And before that?"

"Alright, alright, I get the point, every time I break the rule something bad happens to me." Plagg confessed. "It's not my fault, it's my naturally destructive nature keeps getting me into trouble, I am the physical embodiment of destruction after all.."

"Yes, well this time we won't allow that, will we?" Tikki asked seriously. "I am not coming to some underworld hell scape to pull your ass out of whatever torment you have managed to get yourself into this time."

"Nope, learned my lesson the last time." Plagg said with as much seriousness as he could muster. "I don't fancy spending a century dreaming of cheese but being unable to eat any of my gooey goddess just because I never repaid Morpheus for that time he allowed me into his dreamscape world to mess with the Grand Guardian's fantasies."

"Good." Tikki said sighing at the multiple stupid antics her fellow kwami kept getting himself into but she knew that it was his nature as a force of pure destruction to get into these situations so she couldn't blame him too much. "Now what past miraculous holders will we tell them about?"

"Let's keep it simple and go with the most recent one before this." Plagg said. "Even if it was so long ago it is still the freshest in our memories and one we both know never became public knowledge."

"American Revolution it is then." Tikki said just as the bell went off for the resumption of classes. "Best get back to Adrien's bag during class, we will tell them tonight when they ask. Hopefully this works."

"Trust me, my plans always work out in the end." Plagg said confidently to which Tikki just groaned at Plagg's words. "But I'm leaving out the part about my debt to Azeban, that trickster still wants revenge and while he ain't evil, I don't trust him not to randomly show up here and fuck me over."

* * *

"Ok Tikki, you have no doubt heard that Alya is after information on former Ladybugs and Cat Noirs." Marinette said to her kwami that night. "And after much pressure I have agreed to help. So, what can you tell me about a past holder of yours."

It was night and Marinette had finished all her homework for once, as well as a few personal projects. The lack of akuma attacks had allowed her to get more work than usual done and as such she was actually ahead on her homework for once, which would come in handy whenever the attacks resumed. Therefore, she could get the necessary info from Tikki to satisfy Alya's thirst for Ladybug knowledge and stop the annoying begging from her best friend for it.

"It was kind of hard to miss." Tikki said with a light laugh. "But are you sure that you want to tell Alya about one of my past holders. It could lead to some awkward questions when she realizes that there is little actual information on it as many of mine and Cat Noir's kwami's past activities have either been unrecorded, chalked up to other events of our past humans, or relegated to the realm of myth and folklore. She might get suspicious when there is nothing there to back up your stories other than the odd conspiracy theory and that's just because you humans love your conspiracy theories."

"I know but it is worth the risk to stop the daily annoyances coming from Alya." Marinette said with a sigh. "Besides I will just give her some basic info to satisfy her and allow her to do her own research to cooperate my story. As you said there are a lot of conspiracy theories out there so if she looks deep enough she should find something to back up my claims. She should be too excited to question me too much so long as I keep the details to just the basics like name of holder, time period, and location. Of course I want to know more but that is because I am really curious about your past activities and the nature of my miraculous."

"Very well but I should warn you, only myself and Cat Noir's kwami know this story as this is our history and much of it has been lost over time, so bear that in mind when you tell Alya." Tikki said with a note of warning before lightening her tone and adding. "And its ok, you have been busier than any of my past humans dealing with Hawk Moth to ask about the miraculouses."

"I understand your warning Tikki." Marinette said seriously. "I will make sure that Alya publishes it with an anonymous source. Besides, it's not like Cat Noir's civilian form will be asked as well or anything so we should be good."

"True." Tikki said a little faster than usual but Marinette didn't notice it. "So, what do you want to know? I can tell you about any number of past Ladybug Miraculous holders."

"I was going to leave that up to you." Marinette said. "I thought it would be better for you to let me know who was best to tell Alya about. Preferably someone more recent so as to occupy her with more with sources to research but I will leave it up to you."

"Makes sense." Tikki said with a little nod. "I was going to suggest I tell you about a recent holder for that very reason, the ones who held us in the 16 and 1700s will have more material to research than the ones who held us a millennia prior. I shall tell you of the last holder of the Ladybug Miraculous before yourself, a woman who has become so ingrained within her nation's folklore that no one actually believes she exists anymore, which helped keep her identity and activities a secret. I shall tell you of the brave Molly Pitcher."

"Who?" Marinette asked. She had never heard of a Molly Pitcher in any folklore, that she knew, granted Marinette didn't actually know much French or Chinese folklore. Marinette thought that the name sounded English, especially because Tikki had used American accented English to say Molly's name and not French which confused Marinette slightly.

"Molly Pitcher was a courageous young woman who fought for the American Revolutionaries against the British colonialists during the American Revolution." Tikki said. "That was the last time we were active and the only time when mine and the Black Cat Miraculouses were active outside of either Europe or Asia."

"Ok, that was not what I was expecting." Marinette said slightly shocked. She knew a bit about the American Revolution as it was taught in history classes due to the French involvement in it and the impact it had on the French Revolution but that was it. "Why were you in America last?"

"In order to explain that I should clarify a few things for when and why a Grand Guardian of the Miraculouses activates the Ladybug and Cat Noir Miraculouses." Tikki said adopting a slightly scholarly tone that Marinette found very cute. "That way you will be able to understand more as to why you were chosen and why they are active now, though this is the first time in a few millennia that the reason for activation has been the corruption of a miraculous by a person of evil intent and not the normal reason for activating a miraculous."

"Ok I get that, it is something I should probably have asked before." Marinette said with a little shame at realizing how little she knew about miraculous lore. "What should I know about the miraculouses so as to understand your history?"

"Don't feel bad Marinette, few miraculous holders other than those from the Order of Guardians bother to find out why certain things are done." Tikki said. "But so that you know; a miraculous holder is only chosen when there is a great injustice in the world that the Grand Guardian believes could be righted with the aid of a miraculous. Well that or when a miraculous has been corrupted and used for evil like the Moth Miraculous has been."

"I guessed as much." Marinette said with a nod. "Why the American Revolution though?"

"Well the reason for that was the British Empire and its treatment of the colonists there like they were second class citizens who were subject to whims of London without a say." Tikki said. "As the colonists back then said; 'no taxation without representation'. That and the Grand Guardian at the time was a Sino Frenchman who had fought for the French during the 7-year war that saw the British kick the French out of their colonies in Canada. He may have allowed his desire for revenge get the better of him and brought me and the Black Cat kwami to America from his home in Paris where we were at the time to help throw out the British. There were much worse European colonizers after that that we could have fought against, but we were dormant due to problems back at the temple that culminated in its destruction and the loss of 2 miraculouses."

"Why weren't you in China?" Marinette asked. "Why were you in Paris?"

"The temple may be where the Order of the Guardians was based and where their grimoire was kept but the Grand Guardian could take us where he pleased." Tikki said. "Prior to the American Revolution we had served in English Civil War and some Russian based conflict so for a while the Grand Guardians felt that it was best to keep us in Europe where the main action was happing and away from the constant turmoil in Chine for if we were discovered there we might have been used for evil. That was how we ended up in America. We returned to China afterwards because of the growing instability in France and problems back home that required us to be kept safe at the temple."

"Alright not what I was expecting but I can see the logic in using kwamis to help throw off the shackles of oppression." Marinette said as she digested words. "That is interesting to know and I understand why you were in Europe for so long. Please continue Tikki."

"Yup throwing off the shackles of oppression are our bread and butter." Tikki said with a happy nod. "Been doing that all over the world for a long time. We have been active during the reign of benevolent rulers as well as a way to aid them but we wouldn't hesitate to turn on them if they become corrupted by power. However, an evil miraculous takes precedence because if the power of a miraculous is used for evil it could be unstoppable."

"Yeah Hawk Moth has been tough." Marinette agreed. "He needs to be caught as soon as possible."

"We will get him, I know it." Tikki said firmly.

"So, it was just you and the Black Cat kwami in America then?" Marinette asked bringing the conversation back on topic.

"Yup but that is mandatory when the Grand Guardian decides to activate one of the two most powerful miraculouses." Tikki said to which Marinette just looked confused at her kwami's answer so Tikki elaborated. "If one of the two original and most powerful miraculouses is activated, the other must also be activated to maximize their power."

"That is something I have been meaning to ask." Marinette said remembering another long-forgotten question about the miraculouses that she had wanted to ask Master Fu. "Is there some connection between my miraculous and Cat Noir's? Cos when I saw the miraculous box they looked like they were linked. If they were then it would explain why two are in circulation and not just mine given my ability to purify akumas."

"A good observation Marinette." Tikki said causing Marinette to feel a little flush of pride. "You are right, they are linked. When the Guardian of Magic, one of the several Elemental Guardians and the embodiment and protector of all things related to pure magic, created the first two miraculouses and allowed us kwamis to manifest a physical form, he began the two oldest feelings in the world. Creation and destruction. This is because you cannot have one without the other. We complement each other in ways no other miraculous can do because of how our forces are inexorably linked. This is what makes us stronger. It is also why I am lucky while the Black Cat is unlucky, coincidentally it is also the real reason why ladybugs are considered signs of good luck and black cats signs of bad luck. Why the Magic Guardian chose these as our animal representations I am unsure but he is the son of the Sun God Ra so there might be some Egyptian connection in there, I don't know as I never asked him the reasoning behind his decisions."

"So, it is like opposites attracting or something then?" Marinette asked knowing that she was distracted from the actual conversation but too taken with what Tikki was saying to care. She did file away the stuff about a Guardian of Magic for later use though, she would talk with Tikki about him another time as that was a nugget of information that was new to her.

"Precisely." Tikki said with a nod. "The opposite forces complete one another in ways that the other miraculouses that are based of ancient elements or zodiac signs do not. By releasing both into the world at the same time it ensures that their power is maximized, and it is why combining them can change reality and grant that person one wish. The opposite powers compliment and augment each other so when fused together they grant the person the ability to alter reality but in order to create or change something, something must be destroyed to allow it to happen. It is also why the miraculous holders of the Ladybug and Cat Noir miraculouses have always and should always be one man and one woman. Humans, as with all mammals, are a sexually dimorphic species with two distinct and separate genders. This dimorphism is a mirror of the opposing forces of creation and destruction and thus by having both genders represented as the holders of the original miraculouses the opposite and different natures of man and woman further add to the diametric powers of the miraculouses. Traditionally the Ladybug has been female due in part to the gendered appearance of the earrings but also because it is woman who carry life to completion, should they so choose, and thus are considered by the universe as the creators of life. By contrast, man due to his higher strength and the nature of testosterone, has historically been the fighter and responsible for great destruction throughout history. Also the ring being seen as manlier. As such the very nature of man and woman can also add to the powers of the miraculouses. In the modern society though that could change and we see a man wield me while a woman wields Cat Noir's miraculous in the future. Despite this the sexual orientation or love between the holders has no bearing on the powers of the miraculouses, though many have fallen in love with each other in the past. Several holders have been gay or bi, especially during our days in the Greek city states when we would be held by up to 6 different holders per century just based on mortality rates. All this is historical background and not particularly relevant but it is something you should at least be aware of."

"That is a lot to take in." Marinette said as she digested the latest speech of Tikki's, but she had to agree, it made a lot of sense and was definitely something that they would talk about at a later date.

"I know but it is so rare that I get to explain my very nature to my human that sometimes I do get overzealous." Tikki said with a slight blush, at least Marinette thought the kwami was blushing it was hard to tell with her red skin. "Shall we get back to my history serving with the Revolutionary Army 240 or so years ago."

"Yes please." Marinette said with a nod, glad to get back to the topic at hand. "All this is interesting, and we can talk about it another time, but I need to know enough to satisfy Alya and give her a direction to go in with her research. That is until Hawk Moth returns with a vengeance."

"Ok I will give you enough to satisfy Alya." Tikki said. "So, as I said, I was taken to America, along with the Black Cat kwami and his miraculous, by the Grand Guardian on a boat from France where he had been residing after the 7-year war. Upon reaching America he travelled with several other French men who had been secretly sent to aid the revolutionaries in their training in hopes that the British would be defeated and thus give the French a measure of revenge for the 7-year war."

"How did he end up finding someone to be your holder while in the states?" Marinette interrupted. "From what I know of that period of history, women weren't exactly equal to men."

"Correct and in a lot of senses they were treated as second class citizens but this was a different circumstance to normal." Tikki said. "Due to the War of Independence many people were displaced because of the fighting. As a result, Martha Washington, the wife of the General in charge of the whole army, rallied women to be what she called camp followers. Many were the wives of soldiers who travelled with them to be by their sides and avoid being captured by the British. Most served as washers, cleaners and nurses for the soldiers to make their lives easier. There were also unmarried women who were with them for other reasons. Pitcher was one such woman."

"Do I want to know why she was there?" Marinette asked hoping the answer wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"If you are wondering whether or not she was one of the camp prostitutes to serve the needs of the men then no she wasn't." Tikki said and Marinette sighed in relief at that. She knew that prostitution was the world's oldest profession and that if regulated and a willing choice of the women who engaged in it well within their rights as women to choose what to do with their bodies but during a war that was normally not a choice.

"Molly was about your age at the time, maybe a little older." Tikki continued. "Her mother was a soldier's wife who had brought her with them to avoid her being captured by the British. When the Grand Guardian saw here, he knew that she was the one as she had a great heart just like you and was constantly helping where she could at the various camps her family was stationed in. She was a selfless and kind girl who truly embodied the nature of the Ladybug Miraculous just as you do Marinette. He gave her the miraculous and she became the latest in the long line of Ladybugs."

"What did you two do when you were in costume while you were there?" Marinette asked curious to know more about the last girl who had been her kwami's human. "I know you are supposed to fight injustice and evil when you see it, but I am so used to dealing with another supervillain that I don't know what that might entail in a war setting."

"Mainly it was for stealth, espionage, sabotage and support." Tikki said. "She and the man who was given the Black Cat Miraculous would sneak out at night and mess with the British, capture senior officials, spy on them, destroy stuff, use the Lucky Charm to ensure certain victories for the Revolutionaries, that sort of thing. Because of who the Black Cat was we rarely worked together but if I was ever in the northeast then we would team up and ensure victory when it looked like defeat was inevitable."

"Did the Americans know about you?" Marinette asked.

"I think some of the senior officers and revolutionaries were suspicious when Molly provided the information they needed to win critical battles, but they let it slide." Tikki said with a thought. "I am not sure if they saw us while transformed though. Due to the cannons and bullets we didn't actually fight in the battles as the magic can only protect us so much when faced with a weapon of war. I know that as Ladybug she appeared to General Washington as he was the commander of the Continental Army or whatever it was called. It was Washington who made sure that the fact that he was getting intel and changing the balance of the war was due to two superheroes was kept a secret. As far as I am aware the only people nowadays who know that we served in the American Revolution are me, you and Cat Noir's kwami, maybe Cat Noir himself if he has asked but that is it. I can say for certain that me and Cat Noir's kwami are the only sentients who know the names of our holders in the 1770s."

"Interesting and a wise move I presume." Marinette said before asking. "How did this Molly Pitcher become folklore then?"

"During the Battle of Monmouth, a woman by the name of Mary Ludwig Hays stood on the cannon line after her husband was wounded and helped load the cannons with the men because she had been taught how to do so by her husband." Tikki said. "During that time my Molly, whose first name was also Mary but she preferred the nickname Molly, served as her water girl, running and getting Mary a pitcher of water from a spring to cool the cannons during the fight. Afterwards Washington gave Hays a non-commissioned warrant making her a soldier because of her bravery in the face of the enemy. He then helped perpetuate the myth of her, using the moniker Molly Pitcher as a way to describe her actions and draw attention away from my Molly. This allowed the legend to fall into folklore and protected my Molly's identity and service to the Revolutionary War from ever being revealed. I still believe that both me and the Black Cat kwami turned the tide of the war though even without us the colonists likely would have won in the end, we just sped it up."

"What happened when the war ended?" Marinette asked.

"The Grand Guardian revealed himself to us, and allowed us to know who the other holder was before he requested the Miraculouses back." Tikki said with a sad sigh. "The holders returned us to him as there was no more need for us in America and both of them agreed that the longer we were there the greater the risk was that we would be discovered by the other newly independent Americans. We all thought that that might not go over well at that time. Americans were wary of magic back then so it was best to leave when we could. The Grand Guardian returned to Paris before being recalled to China pleased that he had stuck it to the British. Molly and the Black Cat lived out the rest of their days in the states proud of what they had done for their newly formed country. Usually we are held until the death of our holders but there was no need anymore and the risk of loss and possible abuse of the two most powerful miraculouses was too great. It was a hard parting but a needed one."

"That's a shame." Marinette said. "But I can understand it."

"I could have stayed as Molly was unknown, but the Black Cat was a more well-known figure who couldn't keep it after the war." Tikki said. "So, it was for the best that both of us be relinquished at the same time. As with all my former holder, I will miss Molly dearly but I know that her memory lives on in you, just as yours will live on in your eventual successor."

"Speaking of the Black Cat kwami, I assume that he did not use the name Cat Noir while there." Marinette said feeling her kwami's pain at the losses the immortal being must go through and deciding to focus Tikki's mind on something else.

"Correct he did not use that name." Tikki said. "He simply called himself Black Cat, the English version of the name. Though because he was used in secret he rarely spoke of his name."

"Who was he, can you tell me that?" Marinette asked. "Did he also become a folk hero?"

"No, he would not become a folk hero, though some of his actions might have been exaggerated into folklore, I wouldn't know." Tikki said with a small shrug. "No, he will always be remembered in American history as a real hero of the American Revolutionary. Unlike women, the men of the revolution couldn't hide and were in the best place to really affect the war so the Grand Guardian chose one who he felt was best suited for the needs of the miraculous. As a result that person was both someone older than the Ladybug holder and a civilian who did not actively fight in the army or travel with it. The Black Cat is a known person like several other former holders, though like them no one knows that their accomplishments were because of a miraculous. No one other than Washington, and possibly future US Presidents, knew why he so successful, nor that what he was most famous for could only have been accomplished by being transformed into the Black Cat."

"Who was he?" Marinette asked eager to know. Her curiosity had been peaked and she wanted to know which famous American Revolutionary hero that she likely couldn't remember had been chosen to become the Black Cat.

"Paul Revere."

* * *

"Really?" Adrien asked. Plagg had just told him who the last miraculous holder of the Black Cat Miraculous had been and the revelation had surprised him.

After constant pleading from Alya and Nino, Adrien had given in and agreed to aid them in Alya's research of past miraculous holders while Hawk Moth was inactive for some reason. He had been hesitant at first because he was afraid he would give himself away should he try to find out as Plagg would willingly tell him anything for the right amount of cheese. However, after several days of nagging they had worn Adrien down and he had begrudgingly agreed to help. That was why when he returned home from fencing, and after piano practice, he had asked Plagg about his kwami's most recent holder before himself.

Adrien had not expected Plagg to so readily agree to give him the information as soon as he had asked. The mischievous little imp had even done so for free, though Adrien would still reward Plagg later. He had also not expected that the last time that Plagg had been active was in the American revolution.

"What about the French revolution?" Adrien had asked when he had found out that the reason for going to America had been the injustice of the British colonial rule. "Or other imperial horrors that occurred over that time period or the shit that had happened in the 1900s? Surely there were plenty of injustices since the American Revolution that would have required kwami intervention."

Plagg had explained that they would have been present during those events but unfortunately there had been strife at the time in China and the temple was forced to remain hidden and deal with its own problems. The Guardian's Temple would be destroyed 75 years or so after the American revolution and there had been no chance to activate any of them during that period. With the Temple's destruction and the loss of two miraculouses Plagg had explained that the Master Fu, who was the only surviving member of the Order of the Guardians, had decided to only activate a miraculous if either the Peahen or Moth Miraculouses were ever found and used for evil, which hadn't happened until the emergence of Hawk Moth almost 2 years ago.

With the large time gap between holders explained, Adrien had then asked more about who had been chosen. That was when Plagg had told him that the last holder of his miraculous had been none other than Paul Revere, a famous hero of the American revolution. Adrien knew a little about the revolution and its heroes from his studies when he had been tutored at home and because of how it had influenced the French revolution. Despite that he had still been shocked by the revelation of who had held the Miraculous of Destruction last.

"Oh yes, Paul and I go way back." Plagg said with a nod. "Decent guy, good silversmith, decent drinker and gambler that I agreed with, we can do that when you are older. We still occasionally hang out in Elysium and play cards with Hades and a few other heroes but that isn't relevant to what you wanted to know. All that being said, he was not as awesome as you are. My boy Paul was too concerned with the revolution for the fun I really enjoyed, I got that from a few other magical creature friends I made out there. Also they didn't have cheese back then, I had to live off flavorless flour cakes and what I am pretty sure was a precursor to beef jerky though it was often made out of any animal that could be caught due to food shortages. Let me tell you, racoons really take offense when you each jerky made from their fellows. That being said, fox jerky isn't too bad though Trixx would never forgive me if he found out I had to eat it a few times and I wouldn't inflict skunk jerky on my worst enemy."

"I have a feeling I do not want to know any more about that." Adrien said.

"Wise move, I may or may not have a few grudges out against me from my days in northeast of America due to some unsettled debts." Plagg said with a little shudder. "But yes, Paul was chosen to be my human by the Grand Guardian."

"Why him?" Adrien asked.

"He was a loyal revolutionary and a key leader who was not a soldier and as such was not preoccupied with the military side of the war." Plagg said with a shrug. "Back then it was tradition that I be wielded by a male while Ladybug be wielded by a woman, it always has to be both genders when mine and Ladybug's miraculouses are activated but that's neither for her or now. Anyway, as the revolution was led by men in that period it made sense for me to be wielded by a leader who was not military affiliated while Ladybug was an innocuous female who travelled with the main army. The lack of military affiliation gave me greater leeway to accomplish my goals."

"Did you two interact while in the states?" Adrien asked getting more and more curious in Plagg's former life as the conversation went on.

"Back then they were the colonies and we did a bit but not often." Plagg said. "I was primarily based in the northeast while she travelled with the army so was often wherever the fighting was thickest. We met whenever General Washington had a mission for both of us that required two people to ensure completion but that was not very often. Washington was the only one who knew of our powers and service to the Revolutionary War, though even he did not our identities. Back then he knew us as The Ladybug and Black Cat. Most of the time we were independent of each other but both of us acted in the interests of the revolution in our own ways."

"What did you do for the revolutionaries?" Adrien asked interested in his kwami's history. If he ever had an assignment on the American Revolution Plagg would be a goldmine of info for it, for the right price of course.

"Paul and I were basically spies and saboteurs." Plagg said with pride. "Though more often saboteurs as I am an expert in destroying things. Between the black suit, the catlike reflexes, night vision and the sheer destructive power of my cataclysm we were unstoppable. Paul would go out at nights as Black Cat and learn all he could about the British forces and destroy key things that they needed to win battles. I am pretty sure we turned the tide of many battles but even that was not our greatest accomplishment."

"The Midnight Ride." Adrien said remembering what Paul Revere had been most famous for. "One if by land, two if by sea, right?"

"Exactly." Plagg said with even more pride than before. "It was our crowning moment and Paul could only have done it with my aid. Only through my enhanced vision could he see the two lanterns to know that the British were coming by sea. Only the enhanced reflexes and the natural stealth I provided him allowed him to sneak past the British lines and to let people know of the danger they were in. It was a wild night. We kept transforming in and out so as to combine sneaking past the enemy lines and the riding of his horse as fast as possible across open grounds. It's not very practical to ride while transformed back then and at the time I may or may not have been in debt to Poseidon. As it was he was who created horses they weren't fond of me back then, or really now for that matter but that might be because me and Sleipnir have never seen eye to eye after I insulted him mother Loki."

"Er ok." Adrien said deciding to chalk the last part up to Plagg's exaggerating nature. "So, you helped turned the tide of the war? I never knew that."

"I was the reason why the Americans won, I am simply that amazing." Plagg said as he flexed his imaginary muscles. "In my humble opinion it was all me. As for why you don't know, it was kept from the history books. Too farfetched and magical for the god fearing people of the colonies and later the United States to accept. Washington knew and kept the secret until he died. I believe that the subsequent US Presidents are informed of the real reason for the success in the War of Independence as it may be classified as one of the many secrets that only US Presidents are entitled to know but that is it. These days most Americans have no idea about kwamis or miraculouses, they have their own heroes to deal with, so it's not a big deal if it is known here. I doubt many will believe it over there, other than the conspiracy theorists that is."

"Probably not but it will get Alya off my back." Adrien agreed. "Give her a direction to research in and keep her focused for a while."

"Yup though she won't find much if anything." Plagg said. "Only me and Ladybug's kwami know the story and her human back then has become folklore in America and is believed to have not existed so there won't be much on our involvement."

"Good to know, it should keep Alya distracted until Hawk Moth rears his ugly head again." Adrien said with satisfaction. "So, who was Ladybug's human, if you know her identity as well and can tell me."

"I do as we revealed ourselves to the other at the very end when the war was over, and we were returned to the Grand Guardian." Plagg said with a sharp nod. "And I can reveal who the former holder was because I am allowed to reveal all former miraculous holders, I am only banned from revealing current holders. Back then Ladybug was a teenage girl called Molly Pitcher."

* * *

"Well, what do you have for me?" Alya asked Marinette the next morning as soon as Marinette had sat down in the classroom. "Did you find anything out about past Ladybugs or Cat Noirs."

"Morning to you too Alya." Marinette said with a laugh.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited." Alya said and Marinette could tell that because Alya was positively bouncing in her seat. "Adrien turned up something and told Nino who just told me, so I was hoping for another research direction from you. The more I have to research the happier I will be."

"Adrien found something out?" Marinette asked surprised. Her crush must have found out about an earlier Ladybug, this was good as it would increase Alya's distraction and prevent her from bugging Marinette about this shit for a while.

"Yeah but I will tell you about that in a moment." Alya said. "First, I want to see if you found anything out as well."

"As a matter of fact, I did find a good lead for you to follow." Marinette said with a grin as she toyed with Alya. She was fed up with Alya's badgering so Marinette was going to draw it out a little just to annoy Alya.

"Marinette don't make me beg or tickle you." Alya said and Marinette blanched at the later, she did not want to be tickled and fall because knowing her luck it would be right when Adrien showed up and to the long list of embarrassing moments she had had in front of him.

"Alright, no need to stoop to torture." Marinette said giving into Alya's threat. "I will tell you what I found out during my research last night."

"Do you know a former identity or country or time period?" Alya asked excited.

"As a matter of fact I can give you all 3." Marinette said as she figured out what to say to Alya. "Or at least I have a time period, country, and a few suspects. It took a long time, but I think I found a past Ladybug and Cat Noir, or Black Cat as he was known then, from about a quarter of a millennia ago. I believe that a teen girl by the name of Molly Pitcher was the Ladybug Miraculous holder during the American Revolution and fought on the side of the Americans. As for the Black Cat Miraculous holder was, he one of the known heroes of the Revolution, none other than the famous Paul Revere. Personally, I am inclined to think that Pitcher is more likely as she currently exists solely in American folklore based on what I was able to find about her, but I am skeptical about Revere. This was also all in English which I am not the best at so I may have missed a few things in translation. Of course, I could have just stumbled upon some strange internet conspiracy theorists as it was an odd website full of claims of lizard people, aliens, and governmental spying. It is a direction for you to go in though."

Marinette's smile wavered when she looked at Alya and noticed that instead of a pleased look on her friend's face, Alya just looked confused. That was not what Marinette had been expecting. A moment later Alya smiled widely as if she had just realized something.

"Marinette you might be right about what you found!" Alya suddenly exclaimed. "Thank you."

"It's not a conspiracy?" Marinette asked confused by Alya's reaction to her words and deciding to find out what was going on. "That's news to me."

"Perhaps but Adrien told Nino exactly the same thing you just told me and you are too much of a mess around him to actually work with him." Alya said grinning. "He said that there had been a Ladybug and Cat Noir, or The Ladybug and Black Cat, around in those days too. He even said that Ladybug was a teenager called Molly Pitcher and that Cat Noir was Paul Revere. This is great, I have to go and research the American Revolution more as soon as possible to see if there is something there that indicates miraculous involvement."

Marinette just stared at Alya in stunned shock, her mouth hanging open. How had Adrien known the recent history of her and Cat Noir's miraculouses? Only she and Tikki, as well as Cat Noir's kwami and possibly Cat Noir, knew that history or the names of the past holders.

That was when the only possible explanation that Marinette could come up with came unbidden to her mind. Adrien was Cat Noir! Her crush, her love was her flirtatious partner in crime. A partner in crime that she knew had a crush on her, well he had a crush Ladybug but that still counted in Marinette's mind. She just had to figure out how to confront Cat Noir about it and what to do about her own identity. She was uncertain if she should reveal who she was to him or not.

Of course, right at that moment Adrien walked in talking with Nino and Marinette had to look away, she didn't trust her emotions around him at the moment now that she knew he liked her back. Ms. Bustier was right behind them so class began at that moment and prevented any possible embarrassment for the time being. Marinette was too shocked to concentrate in class though and vowed to confront Cat Noir that night during their scheduled weekly patrol.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked Nino as they ate lunch. "Marinette told Alya the same thing I told you about Ladybug and Cat Noir's past."

"Yup, same names, time period, country and cause." Nino confirmed. "There must be something there if the two of you found it independent of each other, right?"

"I haven't seen Marinette since yesterday." Adrien said as pieces of a thought began to fall into place in his brain. "So, we must have found the same sources separately of each other."

"Pretty weird coincidence dude but I'm not complaining." Nino said happily. "Alya is ecstatic that she has a direction to focus on with enough evidence to provide a plausible truth to the findings. If Alya is happy, that makes me happy. Good job dude."

"Yeah it is weird." Adrien said as he took a bite of the lunch Natalie had packed him and thought about what Nino had just told him.

Plagg had made it clear to Adrien that only they and Ladybug's kwami knew that there had been a Ladybug and Cat Noir active during the American Revolution and they were the only ones who knew the identities of the last two holders of the original miraculouses. That meant that the only way for Marinette to know would have been for her to hear it directly from the Ladybug Kwami which meant that Marinette had to be Ladybug as the kwamis were only known by their respective humans, and Master Fu.

That revelation almost cause Adrien to drop his lunch. It took all of his self-control to avoid doing so. He had just figured out who his lady was, and it was his friend Marinette. That meant that he was in love with Marinette. Adrien wasn't sure about her feelings for him other than being one of his fans, something he appreciated a lot more now, but he was certain of one thing. He was going to confront her about it tonight during their patrol and declare his love for her, consequences be damned.

* * *

Marinette landed on the rooftop that she and Cat Noir, Adrien if her theory was right, had designated as the spot to meet for their patrol tonight. Marinette was nervous, but she knew that had to confront him and confess her feelings for him. She loved Adrien and she knew that Cat Noir loved Ladybug. That had given her the final boost of confidence to finally declare her feelings for the model.

Part of her was afraid that he wouldn't like plain old Marinette, but she had to push that part down whenever it tried to come to the surface. She was Ladybug, she could do anything, even finally confess her love to Adrien.

At that moment Adrien, as Cat Noir, landed on the roof and looked at her with his usual cheeky grin. Marinette couldn't meet his gaze, if she had she would have seen his love clear as day in his green eyes. Instead, she just blurted out.

"I have to tell you something."

"As do I, m'lady." Adrien replied as soon as she had spoken.

"I love you Adrien." Marinette said quickly so as to not lose her nerve. Right as she said that, Adrien had said.

"I love you Marinette."

* * *

As Adrien vaulted through Paris on his extendable baton he had thought about what to say to Marinette when he met up with her. He decided that it was best just to come out and say it right away. There was no point in denying it anymore, so he had better take the plunge and confess his feelings for her.

As soon as he landed on the roof he saw Marinette standing there as Ladybug and realized that he had been a fool not to see that they were one and the same, Ladybug basically looked like Marinette in a mask. Adrien knew that he loved her with or without the mask because Marinette wouldn't have been chosen to be Ladybug if she wasn't Ladybug at heart. He tried to look into her eyes, but she wasn't looking at him, so he spoke, but Marinette beat him to the punch.

"I have to tell you something." Marinette suddenly blurted out.

"As do I, m'lady." Adrien replied, it was time to declare his feelings right then and there, as well as his knowledge of her identity.

"I love you Marinette." Adrien said just as Marinette also spoke.

"I love you Adrien."

* * *

Marinette blinked. She swore that she had heard Adrien tell her, Marinette that he loved her. Adrien knew who she was, and he still loved her. She couldn't believe either or those things. Then she remembered that she had told Alya the same story as Adrien which meant that there was a high chance that Adrien knew that she knew about their kwami's past lives and figured the truth out as well.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said as she transformed back into herself, they both knew now so best to do this face to face.

* * *

Adrien just smiled at Marinette's statement. She loved him back and knew who he was. He didn't doubt that Alya had told Marinette what he had told Nino about their kwamis past holders so it was no surprise to him that she knew that he was Cat Noir. He was surprised however when Marinette dropped her transformation.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said deciding that it was best to do the same. Moments later they were staring at each other in their civilian forms for the first time knowing the other's secret and with their kwamis out next to them.

"I assume you figured it out after Alya told you that I had mentioned Revere, Pitcher and the American Revolution to Nino." Adrien said breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I assume Nino told you that I had told Alya the same thing and figured it from there." Marinette said.

"Yup." Adrien said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you mean it? You really do love me?"

"Yes." Marinette said and finally she looked at him and as his eyes met her pretty bluebell ones Adrien could see the love in them and knew that she was speaking the truth. "And I have loved you ever since you gave me your umbrella."

"And I have loved Ladybug ever since we defeated Stoneheart." Adrien said as he took a step forward and took Marinette's hand in his. "Pretty annoying that we have loved each other for so long and didn't realize it."

"It is." Marinette agreed with a slight blush.

"Well that is all behind us now." Adrien said as he pulled Marinette close to him, finally able to hold his lady the way he had always dreamed of.

* * *

Marinette felt Adrien pull her close to him and hold her. She just melted into his chest and sighed in contentment. She felt a rumble in Adrien's chest and had to stifle a laugh. Adrien was purring while he was holding her.

She knew that this wasn't a dream but still it was all so unbelievable. She had not expected to ever feel this with Adrien, let alone find out that he reciprocated her feelings, but he did. It was a dream come true.

That dream got even better when Adrien lifted her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. Leaning down he captured her lips with his and she lost herself to the bliss of the moment, not even caring to figure out why she and Adrien had told Alya the same story. She was finally with Adrien and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"See I told you this would work, and it didn't break the rules." Plagg gloated to Tikki as they hovered next to each other, looking down at their humans as the couple finally embraced.

"I agree, for once you were right Plagg." Tikki conceded with a wicked grin at her fellow kwami.

"For once! I am always right." Plagg huffed. "Remember the time…"

Plagg's sentence was cut short by Tikki placing a paw over his mouth. Plagg continued to protest at the indignation against her paw.

"Shhh Plagg I am enjoying the moment." Tikki said and Plagg relented but she could still feel his annoyance. "I do have one more thing to say."

"What?" Plagg grumbled after Tikki remover her paw so that he could ask her. Tikki just turned her face to the sky and said.

"Fuck you Aphrodite."

 **Again, I am sorry that this is so late but this is a nice long oneshot for y'all. I don't expect the next chapter to be this late again but I am officially shifting the upload time back to Saturday at midnight rather than Friday at midnight so as to give me more time to ensure final edits are made. I hope this history of the kwamis worked out. I chose the American Revolution over Napoleonic France because I know the former better and as such only had to do a little research for the oneshot. Also some of the things mentioned in this oneshot may, or may not, appear again in later oneshots so this set a little backstory just in case. I will release a bonus oneshot in August but unlike last time I will not be giving away the title or the date of the release, y'all will have to wait for it. If I am late again then I will release a second bonus oneshot as I have two oneshots that can be used for that purpose but that is the current limit of my bonus oneshots for now. Anyway, enough rambling. Keep these great prompts coming and I will keep trying to produce great oneshots out of your ideas. As always keep letting me know what you think of this series in your reviews. Until Saturday.**

 **Stringdog**


	18. Suspicions

**Here is my 18th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested in a review by prietar a little over a month ago after the Troublemaker episode and 'Accent'. One thing to note here is that as those of you who follow this series will have realized, I recently shortened the title to just 'Miraculous Revelations'. This was because I felt the full title was a little too clunky and wordy so decided to shorten it to make it a little smoother. If y'all want the full title again then let me know and I will restore it but otherwise it will remain in its shortened form. Anyway enough admin shit, this is another short, simple, hopefully sweet, oneshot in this series, so sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Suspicions.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Suspicions** **\- It has been a week since Adrien caught a glimpse of Ladybug's unmasked face, well half of her face, when she lost an earring during their fight with Troublemaker. Since then he has been haunted by the sight. The one good thing; it has given him a suspicion as to who his lady might be under that mask. That was why he invited Marinette to the photo shoot, to try and confirm his suspicions. Will Adrien be right or will he be doomed to never know who his lady is?  
**

* * *

 **Suspicions**

It was the same image every night. As soon as Adrien fell asleep he saw it in his dreams, and even occasionally in his waking mind. The image drifted that appeared there was one that had been seared into his brain only a week ago, but it still haunted him. It had only been a glimpse, but it was enough. No matter what he tired, Adrien couldn't get the sight of Ladybug missing half her mask and revealing part of her face to Adrien. Even after waking up, the image still lingered in his mind for a few moments, tantalizing him with the possible identity of his lady.

The event in question had occurred in his friend Marinette's living room during the Troublemaker akuma attack the week before. During the fight, Troublemaker became the second akuma, the first being Dark Owl, who had succeeded in removing one of Ladybug's earrings. The resulting loss had caused parts of her costume to disappear slowly as the magic of the miraculous was weakened. Adrien had been preoccupied during the fight, but he had managed to catch a glimpse of Ladybug in profile missing half her mask from across the room where he had ended up after his failed cataclysm attack on Troublemaker. It hadn't been long enough for him to confirm who she was as she had found and reattached the earring before he could get near her, but it had aroused his suspicion as to who she was under the mask.

The glimpse may have been fleeting but over the week it had been playing in his mind Adrien had a pretty good idea who it was under the mask. He'd had an idea who she was right after the attack but after a week of seeing the image in his mind's eye he was now more certain. Between the blue eye he saw clearly, the twin pigtail style and blue/black color of her hair, and the knowledge Ladybug seemed to have of the Dupain-Cheng apartment, Adrien suspected that Marinette might be Ladybug.

It was just a suspicion and he had absolutely no proof to back up his suspicions, but the circumstantial evidence was starting add up. It wasn't until he had seen part of Ladybug's face without her mask that he had begun to notice the striking similarities in appearance between Marinette and Ladybug. It was as if a veil had been lifted or a mist cleared and now he was shocked that he had never noticed how similar Marinette and Ladybug actually were. He remembered that his father had even commented on how Marinette had the right body time to model as Ladybug during that music video but he hadn't realized until now how similar Ladybug and Marinette looked. It was as if some magic had been lifted and he could see Ladybug clearly for the first time.

Adrien's suspicion of Marinette had been why he had invited her to his next photo shoot in the first place, it was an excuse to spend time with her and see if she really was his lady. Her love of fashion, the reason she gave for having so many pictures of him in her room, something Adrien believed to be true, had given him the opportunity to invite her to a photo shoot and use it see if his suspicions were true. The photo shoot just so happened to be later that day, but it would allow him to keep a close eye on her so that if anything akuma related happened he could watch and see how she reacted. If she accepted the offer to model some of his father's female clothes next to him then he would be able to keep an even closer eye on her so that should there be an akuma attack he would have a closer view of her reaction.

As today was a Saturday, the photo shoot was an all-day affair so a grueling and boring day for Adrien. When he had texted Marinette the night before to see if she was still interested and warning that it was an all-day event her response hadn't been what he had expected. She had been very excited that it was going to be an all-day event. He had warned her that he would be busy for most of it, but he was also pleased that she would be there with him, which again seemed to excite his friend. Little did she know that Adrien planned to have her join him in a few shots as he couldn't model female clothes, so he needed a co-star and who better than a friend who was into fashion.

All that was for later. First Adrien had to check something. Groaning and getting out of bed, the young model went to his large bathroom to relieve himself before returning to his room and sitting down at his desk. On the center of the desk was a picture that he had requested Nathalie put there the night before. It was one of him and Marinette with Clara Nightingale. Both of them were in the faux Ladybug and Cat Noir costumes his dad had made for the video. Adrien had to admit, Marinette looked a lot like Ladybug in the costume, even if the costume was a little off from the real thing but that was only because the magical costumes couldn't be replicated.

Now, though, Adrien studied the picture more intently than before. Adrien remembered that he had been so concerned with not revealing his own secret identity that day that he hadn't been able to focus on anything else. Now that he had nothing to worry about he looked more intently at his friend. What he saw only caused his suspicions of Marinette to grow.

The girl was holding the fake mask in her hands and looking at it with a mixture of concern and fear. It was exactly the same expression Adrien had had on his face when he was on the stage. It was too freaky. There was no way that this could be a coincidence.

Adrien's concentration was suddenly broken by the pungent scent of fresh Camembert. Even after smelling the stinky cheese for almost 2 years now, he carried some of it with him every day just in case Plagg needed some, he still had yet to get used to the smell of it. It did alert him to the fact that his kwami was floating over to see what he was doing. Plagg may be lazy like a cat, but he was also as curious as a cat about everything around him, a trait that sometimes got the little kwami in trouble.

"Whatcha doing?" Plagg asked as he floated over Adrien's shoulder to hover in front of Adrien while tenderly caressing his morning cheese.

"Checking something out." Adrien said as he looked through a draw at his desk until he found a fine tip, red felt pen. "I need to confirm my suspicions about something."

"Suspicions?" Plagg asked confused before swallowing the cheese whole with a contented sigh and a pat on his belly. "Ah Aristaeus, you were an odd chap back in the day, but I must give you credit, of all the many gods and goddesses I have known you gave humanity the greatest gift of all, cheese. Anyway, what, or who, are you suspicious of Adrien?"

"I am suspicious of Marinette." Adrien said as he drew a small red mask over half of Marinette's face before looking for a black pen. "I think she may be Ladybug, I caught a glimpse of the side of my lady's face last week and I could swear that it was Marinette, either that or after 2 years of pinning after her I am grasping at any possible lead to her being said I am also suspicious of your recent statement."

If Adrien hadn't been so engrossed in his work, then he would have noticed that Plagg had gone very still when he had mentioned Marinette and Ladybug possibly being one and the same, but he didn't. Had he, then he would have probably been able to figure out the truth from Plagg's reaction. He hadn't as he had been finishing off the dots on the mask. The result was as he had expected, it was almost identical to the image that kept appearing in his mind from the week before.

"Oh that, pay no attention to me waxing lyrically about cheese and its noble creator." Plagg said after a longer than usual pause. "As for Marinette, she's just your friend is she not, how could she be Ladybug."

"I do not know but she certainly looks a lot like her." Adrien said looking down at the picture on his desk. "But you can't confirm this to me, can you? I know you know who she is after that Dark Owl incident but refuse to tell me the truth."

"You know I can't say a thing." Plagg said shaking his head. "Sworn to secrecy about her identity. If I tell you then bad things will happen to me. Something to do with the cosmic balance of the universe I think. That or Hunhau is still pissed that I never paid him back for that night out we had 500 years ago and will chose the precise moment that I tell you to come and collect. Either way I usually end up in some gods forsaken underworld with a deity I owe money too who has decided that he or she will get said money by trying out new punishments on me. Not even all the cheese in the world could bribe me to go through that again. Well unless Minos wants to try out his idea of boiling someone in cheese for an eternity, now that would be a great punishment but alas I am not that lucky when it comes to dealing with Hades."

"As helpful as always." Adrien grumbled at Plagg as he ignored yet another bizarre and nonsensical rant from the little imp and went back to the picture now Adrien was convinced that Marinette was Ladybug, he just didn't have that concrete piece of proof yet to confirm his suspicions.

Just then there was a crackling sound and Nathalie's voice came in over the room's intercom speaker.

"Adrien, you have 10 minutes to get ready." His father's assistant said. "Then we are leaving to pick up your friend and go to the photo shoot. There is some paperwork for her to fill out and a lot of photos to take today so your father wants you to get to it as soon as possible."

Adrien groaned but did as he was told. He went to his bathroom to take a quick shower. At least if something akuma related happened today he would be with Marinette and he could try to see if his suspicions were true. His luck was normally not that good, but he could hope. Paris was due an akuma attack soon seeing as Hawk Moth had been dormant for over a month, the attack had to be any day now. With that in mind Adrien began to get ready for what he hoped was a productive day.

* * *

Marinette was nervous as she waited outside her parents' bakery for Adrien's car to arrive. She knew that this wasn't a date, that still hadn't stopped Alya from coming around to help with her hair and makeup, but it was still time she got to spend with Adrien, alone. Plus, this way she could get pictures from the source and not seem obsessive by cutting them out of the latest magazines or printing them in her room.

Marinette had been terrified when she realized that Adrien had seen the many, many, pictures of him in her room during the Troublemaker incident. She had no idea what he would think of them when he saw them, at least he didn't see the ones in her bed or chaise, that would have been even more awkward to explain away as just being a fan of fashion. Fortunately, he had bought the excuse she had given him, and it had paid off. He had invited her to a photo shoot with him which meant a whole day with Adrien!

Tikki had also seemed excited, despite the lack of stuff for her kwami to do. All she had said to Marinette was that it was going to be fun for both of them. Marinette had brushed it off as her kwami just being happy for her and continued to get ready.

At last, right at the time that Adrien had said he would arrive, his car pulled up and the door opened. Despite her nerves, she got in without hesitation. Inside was Adrien and his father's assistant Nathalie. As soon as she was in, the car drove off.

"The photo shoot will be in one of the local parks." Nathalie said as she handed a piece of paper to Marinette almost as soon as Marinette had buckled herself in. "Here is a non-disclosure agreement that you must sign before we get there. It basically says that you will not take photos while there, other than the ones with Adrien during the shoot, nor will you talk about this on social media. What you will see and model there are the latest in Mr. Agreste's line that will not be revealed until the photos come out just prior to the launch. As such it is intellectual property, as are all the pictures, and we need to ensure that his competitors don't see them. Do not worry, you will receive copies of all photos of you and Adrien after they are published. Adrien tells me you have quite the collection of photos of him and wants to make sure that you get as many as possible from today."

"Don't worry Marinette." Adrien said with a warm smile that made her blush. "Everyone has to sign them, even me."

"I, I, I c-can do th-that." Marinette managed to stutter out before she remembered something that Nathalie had just said. "Wait! What do you mean by pictures with Adrien and modeling? I just thought that I was here to watch and maybe get some pictures of Adrien afterwards for my fashion studies."

"Ah yes that is the second thing we need to discuss." Nathalie said as she passed a slightly thicker stack of papers to Marinette though the assistant's tone told Marinette that the older woman knew the real reason why Marinette wanted the photos. "As you know, Mr. Agreste makes both men and women's clothing. Naturally Adrien cannot model the women's clothes, but he suggested that as you are into fashion and in his words 'very cute', something I agree with, you might wish to model with him today. This way you will get a much closer look at the fashion industry, not be as bored as you might otherwise have been as you will be involved with the shoot and make a little money as you will be compensated for your time and likeness, at below standard rates as you are not a professional nor are you 16 or over of course. Your parents have already been informed and agreed to it should you also wish. It was Adrien's idea and I helped persuade Mr. Agreste that by using a local girl who already has good chemistry with Adrien will make the shoots look more natural and help sell the product as something the average person could identify with. Here is my clipboard, please read the documents and then sign them should you agree and hand them back to me."

"I, I, I, I, d-don't know w-what to s-say." Marinette finally managed to get out as she glanced down at the documents.

They were standard documents that were easy to read. The agreement simply said that anything she saw today was confidential and could not talk or post about it while the contract was just a simple one-off agreement to model for Mr. Agreste for the day and the use of her image to sell the clothes.

This was something she had almost had the chance to do once before, but then Stormy Weather had interrupted them. It was something she really wanted to do as it meant photos with Adrien, but it was still a lot to take in. Then there was the fact that Adrien had called her very cute. That alone brought a blush to her cheeks and caused her throat to close up. It was going to be a hard day to avoid her usual messy self around Adrien, but she knew that she could do it.

"Ok, I, I'll do it." Marinette said as she signed the documents. She didn't care that she would be paid a little or that she couldn't talk about what she would see, she only cared about the fact that she was about to spend a day getting her picture taken with Adrien and getting to see the inner workings of a particular aspect of the fashion industry.

"Excellent." Nathalie said as she scanned the documents when Marinette had handed them back. The car had stopped so Marinette assumed that they had reached their destination. "Well, come on you two. You both have to get ready, we have a long day ahead of us."

As soon as Nathalie had spoken the door was opened by the bodyguard and they got out. Marinette was nervous, but she drew on her inner Ladybug to give her the strength she needed. This was the perfect chance to show Adrien who she was and make him fall for her, she was not going to let anything fuck it up.

* * *

Adrien was having a better time then he usual would at an all-day photo shoot and he knew exactly why. Marinette. Her presence there made it so much more bearable for him. It wasn't just her clear interest in the fashion and clothes that were there, something he did not share with his father, it was that he finally had a friend with him for one of these shoots. That alone turned a boring and grueling experience into a fun one that he wouldn't mind repeating.

Normally he wasn't allowed to bring someone but Marinette's passion for fashion had allowed him to persuade his father to allow it. Also the cheap modeling work she provided didn't hurt his argument. Marinette being there with him made a lot of difference to his overall demeanor during the shooting parts and even the photographer said that Adrien looked better when he was with her in the pictures, more natural and happy. This apparently meant better pictures and as such better sales when they were published in a few weeks just ahead of the fall fashion show. The thing was, the man wasn't wrong. Adrien was happier than he had been in a long time during one of these shoots and it was all because Marinette by his side during the shoot.

When he had spent time with Marinette in the past she had often been a little awkward around him until she found a comfort and then he finally got to see the real girl underneath. He had seen it before during the gaming tournament and with her uncle. Now, because fashion was another such comfort, he once again saw the true Marinette come to light. As soon as she had seen all the designs Marinette had instantly relaxed and her fun self had come out, something he normally didn't see when she was around him for some reason. She did get nervous again during the parts of the shoot where she joined him but after a few shots where he coached her through them, she again became comfortable with everything.

With Marinette comfortable, Adrien was able to really see her for who she was, something he knew he had only seen briefly before but up until now had never actually studied in depth. She was kind, inquisitive, and charming to be around. She certainly reminded him a lot of Ladybug. The few suspicions he still had had pretty much vanished. Now all he needed was an akuma attack to confirm those suspicions, the first time Adrien had ever actually wished for an akuma attack to occur.

* * *

Just after lunch and before they had to change in the next outfit to be modeled, Adrien's wish was granted when an explosion nearby rocked Paris. Adrien may have gotten his wish but the akuma was one of those ones who could cause a lot of damage which normally translated to Adrien getting his ass handed to him by said akuma during the battle while distracting the akuma to give Ladybug time, or just saving her from it at the cost of whatever power the particular akuma wielded. Well his luck wasn't good enough to avoid some problems Adrien reasoned. He had gotten his wish though, now he had to watch Marinette's reaction to it.

"Merde." Marinette swore as soon as the explosion happened as she began to look around, a determined look in her eyes that Adrien would normally associate with Ladybug. "I, er, have to go, I will be back right away."

"Me too." Adrien said. "There is a clause in the contract that automatically suspends the shoot during an akuma attack given the relatively high chances of them occurring, I think this is the third time an attack has happened during a shoot. Just make sure you are back here by the time Ladybug and Cat Noir have defeated it."

Marinette just nodded and ran off towards the bushes where she would be out of view of everyone else. Adrien smiled as he ran in the opposite direction to find a place to 'hide', there was almost no doubt in his mind now that Marinette was Ladybug as only Ladybug would react that way to an akuma attack. The panic the akuma would cause would provide the perfect cover and so long as he was safely back, no one would care. It was time to fight an akuma.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

"Great my perfect day ruined by a damned akuma." Marinette said to Tikki as she ran to the bushes. "I was finally being myself around Adrien and not devolving into a babbling, stuttering mess when this shit happens. Hawk Moth has been dormant for a month until now, just my luck that he would reemerge and strike right when I was having a good day. That akuma has no idea what it is in for."

"Well I am proud of you for finally being confident around Adrien." Tikki said sympathetically. "But Paris does come first."

"I know, duty must come first." Marinette said with a sigh as she reached the bushes and made sure no one was looking. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

The akuma had been very quickly defeated, in record time if Adrien was not mistaken. It hadn't been too hard to see why it had taken them so little time to succeed. Ladybug had been in no mood to deal with it or play games and had just plowed into the attack with abandon. In minutes the akuma was back to normal and he and Ladybug were on a rooftop.

"Sorry kitty but I can't stay." Ladybug said hurriedly. "I have a very important guy, I mean thing to get back to. I left him in a hurry."

"That's of m'lady." Adrien said with a smile. There was almost no doubt anymore that Ladybug was Marinette. "He must be worth it."

"He is." Ladybug said as her earrings beeped. "Anyway, I have to get back and make sure Adrien is safe, see you soon Cat Noir. Bug out."

With that Ladybug threw her yo-yo and swung away. Adrien knew that she had just let slip something she normally wouldn't, but he didn't care. She had just cemented her identity to him.

"See you sooner than you expect, m'lady." Adrien said with a smirk as he vaulted off the roof and headed back to the photo shoot via a different route.

He was going to confront his lady in school on Monday and confirm his suspicious but that was a formality. He no longer had any doubts that Marinette was Ladybug, that meant that he was in love with Marinette. He knew that the right thing to do was to reveal his own identity to her as it was only fair that she knew who he was after he had figured out who she was. After that, well he hoped he could persuade her to date him. Yes, school on Monday was certainly going to be fun.

* * *

Marinette opened her locker after classes on Monday and sighed. The photo shoot had been great, and she had made headway with Adrien but the damned akuma had ruined everything. Because of it the shoot had to be postponed and she would have to wait a week until she got another chance to spend some time with her crush that was away from school but that was just her luck.

With a finality she closed her locker. It was time to go home, try to get some work done and hope Chloe doesn't create yet another akuma. That had been her plan until she realized that Adrien was standing next to her and obscured until the locker door was closed, just as he had done the day after the Troublemaker incident. He a cute smile on his face that always elicited a blush from Marinette as well as a jump in shock at his presence there.

"A-Adrien, w-what are y-you doing here?" Marinette asked cursing at herself for stuttering again.

"I have fencing here later so I have to stay at school till then." Adrien said with a shrug. "Besides, we haven't talked since the photo shoot and I wanted to apologize for it being canceled."

"Oh, that's ok." Marinette said regain herself a little. "I know that akuma attacks happen, there's not much we can do about them."

"Very true." Adrien said, and Marinette noticed a twinkle in his eyes at his words, but she was too lost in them to figure out what it meant. "I also want to catch you alone. You see, I know your secret."

That got Marinette's attention and she instantly stiffened in fear. Adrien knew about her crush on him and was going to confront her about it. She didn't know how he had found out, but he had so there was nothing for it now, she would just have to come clean and hope for the best. She would just have to brace herself for the inevitable rejection, if she was going to be rejected then she might as well ensure that Adrien knew what he was rejecting.

"Ok, I admit it, the pictures in my room weren't because I am into fashion, well I am but that isn't the primary reason." Marinette began and as soon as the damn broke and 2 years of pent up, unrequited, emotions just spilled out of her. "I have them cos I like you, as in like like you. As in I've had a huge crush on you basically ever since we met, well crush is too light a word. It would be more accurate to say that I love you. I love you Adrien."

Marinette looked up but instead of seeing knowing in Adrien's face she just saw him blink in confusion. Merde. She had fucked it up. He hadn't been referring to her crush at all and now she had just told him and likely ruined any chance she had with Adrien. How could she have been this stupid?

* * *

Adrien just blinked at Marinette's words. That had not been what he had expected. He had expected her reaction to be some denial that would further solidify his belief that she was Ladybug, not a confession of feelings. He had never suspected Marinette liked him like that, even after all the pictures though in hindsight that made a lot of sense and he cursed himself for once again being too oblivious to see the truth that was right in front of his eyes. At least this made it easier. She liked him, and he liked her. They had just been trapped in a square that prevented them from realizing that they were meant for each other until they both found out the other's secret.

Adrien looked at Marinette and saw that that she was now shaking in fear at what she had said. Realizing that he had to put her at ease Adrien reached out and pulled Marinette close to him. She fell into his arms though he could feel her shaking in fear from the confession she had just made to him.

"Shh, there is nothing to be afraid of, this actual makes things a lot easier." Adrien whispered into her ear to reassure her before adding.

"Bugaboo."

* * *

As soon as Marinette heard one of the two pet names Cat Noir used for Ladybug she stopped her shaking and once again stiffened out of fear. How had Adrien known that she was Ladybug? Wait, he had just used a name only Cat Noir used for her. That meant that Adrien had to be Cat Noir, which meant that Adrien liked her back because she knew that Cat Noir had feelings for Ladybug.

Pushing herself off his chest, with a lot of regret, she looked up into his dazzlingly green eyes and saw truth and love there. Adrien was Cat Noir and he knew that she was Ladybug. That meant that Adrien loved her just as she loved him. It all fell into place at once. She didn't care how Adrien had figured it out, that could wait. Marinette had something more important to do right now.

Reaching up Marinette grabbed his cheeks and pulled Adrien down to her. Without a word she kissed him, something she had dreamed of but never actually expected for a long time. She felt no objection from Adrien as he melted into it. At last they were together and that was all that mattered to Marinette. Closing her eyes, she lost herself in the infinity that was her first true kiss with the boy that she loved with all her heart. In that moment, everything in her life was perfect.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot for y'all to enjoy. I am currently back on schedule and while next week may be tight, I should be able to get that oneshot out at my new time as promised. The bonus oneshot for last week's late upload has also been started so that will be out in a few weeks as soon as it is ready. As of this moment I have suggestions for the next 4 oneshots in this series so keep the ideas coming as they are so much better than whatever I can come up with myself and allow me to make this story as unique as it is. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.  
**

 **Stringdog**


	19. Gaming

**Here is my 19th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the first prompt that was suggested by a guest reviewer who used the name Gold after 'Raffle'. As this was a suggestion from a guest I could not message the reviewer to hash out any finite details for this prompt so I did the best I could with trying to figure which of the two possible directions to go with and decided to stick to the one that would be closer to the actual series. Hopefully it works and y'all like what I came up with. Anyway, enough admin shit, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Gaming.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Gaming** **\- At last it is here! The latest installment in the Ultimate Mecha Strike series has been released and as fans both Marinette and Adrien can't wait to play it. Among the new features are Ladybug and Cat Noir robots, an online mode, and a system of friend links where players can create groups with other players from around the world, chat with them via headsets, and train together. Naturally Marinette and Adrien go for their superhero inspired characters and eventually head online. What will happen when they are randomly paired with each other and realize that their akuma fighting partner is also online? Surely nothing could possibly go wrong, could it?  
**

* * *

 **Gaming**

Marinette smiled as she saw what her dad had left for her on her desk while she had been at school. As much as she loved fashion, pink, and many other things associated with most girls her age, there was always one thing that wasn't traditionally feminine that she loved to do. Ultimate Mecha Strike.

Her love for the Ultimate Mecha Strike series had grown as it was something her father loved and as she was an only child she had been forced to play it with him as her mother didn't play it. Despite being hesitant about it at first, it had swiftly grown on Marinette to the point that she really enjoyed playing it on her own as well as with her father, much to her mother's annoyance.

Marinette enjoyed the times she got to spend with her father playing the game as it was another way to bond with him. Now she often defeated her father as she practiced in her spare time, but it had been a long path to reach that point. Her skills in the game had even allowed her the chance to play with Adrien, though she still felt guilty for screwing Max over and getting him akumatized because of it, but that had all worked out in the end.

Now though the fourth installment in the series had just been released. Ultimate Mecha Strike IV was supposed to be even better than the last one, with more features in it that updated the game to be in line with current gaming trends and what the fans wanted the most. The trailers she had seen for it had shown a wider range of robots, more customization of said robots, and a new online and team mode that allowed you to connect with people who played the game all over the world. Naturally her father had bought it for the family as soon as it had come out but he couldn't play it yet due to an upcoming event that her parents had agreed to cater for. That meant that Marinette could enjoy the game first on her own and have an edge against her father when they inevitable played it together.

Dropping her bag and running over to her computer and ignoring her work for the moment, Marinette opened the game and popped it in. Grabbing her controller she turned everything on and got ready for her first long gaming session with the new game. It was time to see if the hype for it was worth it.

"Don't you have other work to do?" Tikki asked her with an exasperated sigh as her kwami floated up to watch her. "You know, actual homework that you will quickly fall behind on as soon as Hawk Moth and his akumas return."

Marinette knew that while Tikki enjoyed many of the modern advancements to the world since the last time she was active, the one thing that she had never been able to come to terms with had been video games. It was just so alien to the ancient kwami that she still struggled to understand their appeal to Marinette's generation.

"Not really." Marinette lied feeling a little bit of guilt at ignoring her work to play a video game. "There has only been one akuma attack in the last month and as such I am all caught up with my work, so I think I could use a break from it. Plus, I don't have another patrol with Cat Noir for a few days and I am ahead with my fashion designs so its Ultimate Mecha Strike IV time."

Tikki just gave a sigh at this and Marinette ignored her kwami. Eventually Tikki would come around to the idea of video games once the kwami saw how fun and stress relieving they could be. Marinette was just excited to see the new features that the game had included.

As Marinette went to the character screen to create her own character she was shocked with the what she saw. Among the wide range of new options there was available to her was one that she had not been expecting. Out of all the choices on offer was the chance to create either and use a Ladybug or a Cat Noir inspired robot.

Deciding to test the robot Ladybug, that looked a lot like her when she was transformed albeit more blocky as it was a robot, Marinette selected a single battle to see how it handled. What came next blew her mind. Not only were the graphics cutting edge, but the movements and fluidity of the Ladybug bot was better than she could have expected. Not only did it have a yo-yo as the primary weapon that doubled as a shield, but it almost moved like she did when she fought, albeit a little clunkier as it was a giant robot. It even had a Lucky Charm feature when you reached a certain amount of hit points against an enemy that would produce a random weapon that could be used for a singular, almost overpowered, special attack, just like in real life.

Smiling at her inclusion in her favorite game, Marinette went back to the custom section and selected the Ladybug robot as her new avatar so that she could level it up and add more features to it as she grew in experience. She was going to use it to level it up and learn the mechanics on the standard offline game for a bit before entering the online part of the game. She wanted to be experienced with the new and improved Ultimate Mecha Strike mechanics before she faced other people online. She wasn't going to go online while still a noob after all.

"TheTrueLadybug." Tikki said reading the moniker that Marinette had given herself for the Ladybug robot she was going to use. "Er Marinette, are you sure this is a good idea? What if someone figures you out."

"No one will do so." Marinette said as she began the game's bare bones story mode to level her character up and master the game's new and improved controls. "They will just think I am a fan or something. Besides once I go online there will be people from all over the world there, most of whom won't know who Ladybug is to begin with so they shouldn't be able to connect my online character to my superhero alter ego. They will just think I am some odd French chick who is the rare female gamer and leave it at that, after trying and failing to hit on me of course. Besides, when they lose to a girl, most guys will be too humiliated to care and either find a new opponent, leave a pathetic sexist remark that I will ignore, or hit on me again, which I will also ignore before I find a new opponent and perhaps block any assholes I run into online."

"But what if Cat Noir has the game and starts playing?" Tikki asked the concern clear in her voice. "He might know that you are the real deal and figure your identity out."

"Cat Noir doesn't strike me as a serious gamer." Marinette said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Sure, he knows how to play this game series but not at my level. Besides it's not like his civilian form has ever seen my personal gaming style and could use some of the unique moves I use to connect Ladybug to me, so even if we run into each other on here I am pretty safe. Given how popular this game is, I highly doubt we will run into each other while online."

"Well don't say I didn't warn you." Tikki said with a sigh that Marinette ignored as she began to engross herself in the new game.

* * *

"Wow, I can play as myself." Adrien said with a hint of amazement as he scrolled through the selection of robots on the Ultimate Mecha Strike IV selection page. "Well a robot version of myself but still that is so cool."

Adrien had asked his father for the game when it came out and Nathalie had ensured that he had gotten it. Normally Adrien was uncomfortable with his family's wealth and using it to get what he wanted when he wanted it but when it came to Ultimate Mecha Strike IV he didn't care. This was the hottest game available and Adrien was determined to master it. This time he was going to master it before Marinette did and beat her, if they ever got the chance to play together that is.

"Huh, I was never into this stuff, even when Hephaestus or the Guardian of Technology tried to persuade us to get into it back in the day." Plagg said looking up from his cheese plate having clearly not been listening to Adrien's words. "It's all artificial, there is no true danger or thrill to it. Why play a game where you beat each other up as giant robots that don't effect you when you can play a game of poker with 5 different lords of the dead and one of the 3 underworld based Guardians where there is so much more at stake than just bragging rights. That is not including the fun of watching Hades slamming Barastyr's face through a stone pillar while the Guardian of Bones is trying to stop his father from destroying whatever palace we are in. All this just cos Barastyr got an ace high straight on the river when Hades had the hand until then. Now that is fun, especially when you add in some potent and high quality booze from the Guardian of Alcohol."

"What? Did you say something Plagg?" Adrien said as he began a story mode with his new Cat Noir avatar, TheCatsMeow. Adrien had long ago zoned out when Plagg started recalling stories from his past that sounded ludicrous to Adrien. "I wasn't paying attention due to the awesomeness of this game."

"Never mind." Plagg said with a sigh. "Don't you think that if you play as Cat Noir in the game and use a moniker like that that someone might think that you are Cat Noir?"

"Let them think that." Adrien said as he began to level up his robot. "All they will really think is that I am some fan of Cat Noir, if they even know who Cat Noir is. Even if they do think that I am the real Cat Noir, there is no way they can find out its me. The internet and digital security in this house would make NATO blush, according to dad, so I am safe."

"But what if Ladybug is playing and knows Adrien Agreste's playing style." Plagg pointed out. "Then she might be able to realize that you are Cat Noir."

"I know Ladybug can play this game and likes it but the only girl who really knows my style in Marinette." Adrien said as he began a single game to test out the Cat Noir robot. "And she isn't Ladybug so if she does figure out who I am I will just say I am honoring one of our city's heroes and that should placate her. I'll be fine Plagg."

"Whatever you say." Plagg replied as he turned back to his cheese. "But don't say I didn't warn you, just like whenever I hang out with Loki and he wants to get into some stupid bit of mischief that almost always backfires. On a separate note, I might have to go meet a contact when you fall asleep, I have an old favor to call in."

Adrien again wasn't paying attention to Plagg, he was too focused on the game. The graphics and mechanics were better than anything he had played before and he was determined to master them before he ventured into the online world and began testing his metal against players from around the globe.

* * *

It had been a week since the launch of the game and Marinette had ground out enough levels to feel comfortable with going online and facing other players from around the world. True she hadn't been able to play the game as much as others who had fewer commitments than she did could play, but her experience and the similar game mechanics from the last installment had allowed her to improve her character to a level she was comfortable with. Also, in order to prevent unfairness and loss of customers, the online feature had a few rules to ensure fairness for those who weren't trying to become a globally ranked player.

The main rule was the one that allowed players going online to set the assignment settings for the opponents one wanted to face to only players 5 levels above or below the fighter's own level. Taking down a higher level player would garner more XP than a lower level, but it allowed for a more balanced fighting experience for players who were either casual or like Marinette competitive but burdened by real life problems like fighting Hawk Moth's various akumas, to power level and join the ranks of the professional players. This way Marinette could level even more and still have a good experience with the game. She reasoned that with her skills she could handle players with levels above her within the 5-level limit.

Of course, once you reached a high level, or just wanted to go into the competitive leader boards, a player could leave the standard online section and enter the official rankings section. There was a minimum level limit to enter, one that Marinette had not yet reached, but once in you could be paired against anyone of any level who was in that section of the online game. Again, more XP and ranking points were assigned for beating players of a higher level than your own but that was standard. The seriously competitive gamers who either played the game professionally or just had no other commitments were already way out of Marinette's skill range.

Marinette didn't mind though as she just wanted to take one some people online, use the headset system to trash talk her opponents and show then that there were some girls out there who actually knew how to play video games and were good at them, unlike that lying, radical woman out in Canada who was constantly trying to ruin video games. Also, it was fun trash talking in French when her opponent had no clue what she was saying to them as despite her language's relative prevalence in the world, most online gamers didn't speak it. Marinette was also hoping to find some similarly leveled players to form a group with to play with them online whenever any of them were online so that they could all improve together.

The first few fights Marinette had were simple affairs. She won most of them, only losing to a few higher level players, but only a few had headsets and could talk to her and most spoke English, Japanese, Mandarin, or Korean exclusively and while Marinette was proficient in the former from years of learning it at school she needed her focus to be on the battle and not translating everything into her native tongue during it. As a result, she had not yet managed to find anyone who was worth linking with via the friends feature the game had.

That all changed when she was paired for a battle against a fighter using the Cat Noir themed robot, the first opponent she had faced who used the robot based of her crime fighting partner, with the moniker TheCatsMeow. Marinette had to stifle a laugh at the name, it was something Cat Noir would say.

"I must admit, you are the first online battle I have had against anyone using the Ladybug themed robot." A soft male voice came in over Marinette's headphones. The teen, at least she assumed he was a teen, spoke in unaccented, if slightly formal and clipped, English. "I was hoping to face someone using it."

"What can I say, I like Ladybugs." Marinette replied in French. It was just easier now to speak her native language that way they wouldn't try to engage her in conversation during the battle unless on the off chance they could speak it. "I am glad that they made a Ladybug and Cat Noir themed robots, as well as other superhero themed ones from around the world. That being said, you are the first person I have faced using the Cat Noir themed robot."

"It is good to see that our heroes are well known enough to be put into the game." Came a reply in Parisian accented French that sounded slightly familiar to Marinette but that she couldn't quite place. "Good to see the heroes of Paris getting some more love outside of the city."

"You speak French!" Marinette exclaimed before she could help herself, almost dropping the controller in surprise.

"Of course, it is my native language." The boy on the other end said. "And judging by your accent, you are also from Paris. I speak 5 languages either fluently or proficiently which helps when playing online as two of them are English and Mandarin but as the vast majority of people I face are American or Chinese, so I always default to them, even when my opponent is clearly a fan of the beautiful Ladybug. It is good practice for my colloquial language skills as well."

"Well she is amazing." Marinette said with a smirk. "So is Cat Noir though and you seem to be a fan of his."

"He is pretty pawsome if I do say so myself." The boy said, and Marinette stiffened at the pun, the person she was facing had just sounded exactly like Cat Noir. "Now are we going to fight or not cos this kitty wants to play."

"Bring it on, garce." Marinette said with a wicked grin. "I'll show you what a ladybug can do."

* * *

Adrien had to admit, getting randomly paired with a Parisian girl whose avatar was the Ladybug themed robot and whose moniker was TheTrueLadybug was a huge coincidence and one that he would have to ponder about later. Still, that wouldn't stop him from beating her into the ground as they were the same level.

He had been playing the game for the last week in his limited free time, which was more than usual as Hawk Moth had not created an akuma all week. Ladybug had not wanted to do a patrol all week either, which under normal circumstances Adrien would have been upset about but with the thrill of a new game he was pleased with the extra free time to play it. Adrien had spent that time grinding up levels until he was ready to enter the standard online part of the game.

After several games against mostly Americans, but a few other international players that helped with his Chinese whenever he faced a native speaker, Adrien had finally come across a fellow Frenchman, well Frenchwoman in this case. Still, he was going to beat her and then see if she wanted to link with him after so they could play some more on the game.

Of course, as with all plans, it went to shit really quickly. As good as Adrien was, the girl he was facing was better. Her style was very familiar to him but at the moment Adrien couldn't place it. He was too focused on the near evenly matched battle to pay attention to his foes style, or her impressive trash talking abilities, another thing that was sounded familiar to him. In desperation Adrien used the cataclysm power.

"Cataclysm!" Adrien yelled as he ignited it as soon as he could.

"Lucky Charm!" Came the girl's voice and Adrien paused his attack as it sounded just like his lady.

The pause allowed his opponent to use Ladybug's special power and create a bazooka of all things. Adrien cursed, that power was too OP for the game in his opinion. That pause was enough to distract him and allowed his foe to fire a rocket at him before he could attack her and end his health and defeat him, leaving his robot avatar a pile of scrap metal on the screen.

"Damn, that was a cat-astrophy." Adrien said with a small laugh at his own stupidity for allowing the attack to happen. "Once again you win, m'lady."

* * *

"Cat Noir?"

Marinette was surprised at the usage of one of the two pet names her annoying hero partner used for her. It had prompted her to ask if it really was him on the other end as only she and Cat Noir knew the pet names that he used for her. The fight had been a good one and the boy's style was very familiar to her, but Marinette felt that there was no way that he could actually be her crime fighting partner.

"Is it really you? She added after he had not responded to his question.

Neither had officially ended the fight as the option to have a rematch, link accounts via their profiles, or find a new online opponent, was still on her screen which meant that he was thinking about her words. Marinette had no idea what she was going to do if it really was Cat Noir on the other end or how such a coincidence had occurred.

"Perhaps." Came the response after a moment. "I assume that if you guessed that then you are Ladybug, or her civilian identity playing as I presume the case to be."

"Perhaps." Marinette said realizing that the boy had probably worked it out that she was Ladybug.

If so, then the screen protected their identities, so it wouldn't be a problem being friends here as neither would be able to figure out who the other really was. Plus it offered a new way to communicate with him that was more reliable than transforming and using their weapons' comm functions to communicate with one another.

"Prove it." The boy said after another few seconds. "What is the other nickname I use for you?"

"Bugaboo." Marinette replied automatically.

"Well you really are my lady." Cat Noir, for she knew that it was him, said. "This is a pretty big coincidence."

"Yeah it is." Marinette said with a laugh. Marinette had no idea what the odds of this happening actually were but they must be astronomical. "So, should we use the friends feature to link our profiles so that we can play online together, say around this time every night? You are pretty good at the game and we could both use the experience."

"You're on, bugaboo." Cat Noir replied, and Marinette heard the chime of a friend request on the game that she accepted immediately. "Now are you ready for a rematch, cos I want some revenge."

"Bring it kitty." Marinette said with a smirk. "And I'll show you why I am one of the best players in Paris."

* * *

Another week had passed, and Adrien had just turned off Ultimate Mecha Strike IV after another 2-hour session of fighting against random people online, a full hour of that against Ladybug. The more he had fought against her, the more he been able to study and ultimately recognize Ladybug's unique style of play. It had been familiar to him to from the beginning, but it had taken a week for him to remember where he had seen that unique style of play Ladybug employed. It was the same style that Marinette had used when they had trained together for the Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament.

It had taken a week for Adrien to figure this out because of the slightly different mechanics of the game, the limited time he had spent playing with Marinette and the fact that he was often more concerned with beating Ladybug in their fights than he was in analyzing her playing style. Now though he was convinced that he was playing against Marinette. If so it meant that Marinette was in fact Ladybug and as such the girl he was in love with. He had no doubt that whoever he was playing online with was the real Ladybug as they had shared stories from akuma attacks that only they could have known.

"Are you done?" Plagg moaned from next to him.

"Yes Plagg, I am done." Adrien said as he got up and stretched with a yawn. "And I am tired, so it is time for bed I think."

"Bout time." Plagg mumbled as he floated behind Adrien while the latter walked over to his bed. "I've been waiting for you to go to bed for a while. The Guardian of Ghosts is hosting a high stakes Sabacc game in his palace on the banks of the River Styx. Why that made up game I don't know but he is the host and wants to play it, and the usual crowd are showing up for it so it is bound to be good, destructive and memorable."

"Just so long as you are back in the morning." Adrien said deciding it was best to just play along with Plagg then to try and ask him what he meant by any of what his kwami had just said. "Anyway, it was a pretty big coincidence that Ladybug and I got randomly assigned online given the high number of players."

"Not really." Plagg said as Adrien stripped down and got into bed. "The Guardian of Technology owed me a favor from back when I helped him with how to harness my cataclysm power into a gauntlet he was developing, though I don't know if the technology actually worked. I contacted him 10 days ago, via the Guardian of Magic as that is the only Guardian I can directly contact, and had called in my favor. He ensured that you two would be paired when both of you first went online, after a little bit of a wait of course, and that the pair of you would continue doing so until you figured out that both of you were playing against one another. It wasn't too hard for the Guardian to accomplish it as when it comes to anything in the digital or technical world he is omnipotent."

"Sure, whatever you say Plagg." Adrien said only half hearing what his kwami had just said to him and closing his eyes. "I'll confirm that it is Marinette tomorrow."

"That is the plan after all." Plagg said with a grin that would have made the Cheshire Cat proud. "Have you two figure each other out online cos of your decisions to use such obvious names and to ensure that this damned love square Aphrodite has you trapped in ends. This way I have technically not told you who Ladybug is, so the cosmic forces can't punish me with whatever past destructive act I am still in debt for by revealing her secret identity to you."

Adrien didn't hear any of Plagg's latest rant. He had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow, his dreams filled with images of Ladybug and Marinette as he grappled with whether or not she was in deed Ladybug and therefore the love of his life.

* * *

"Damn, he beat me again." Marinette said as she saved her profile and turned off the game though she wasn't annoyed by the loss. "He's getting better and better the more we play."

"Who? Cat Noir?" Tikki asked.

"Yup." Marinette said as she got up, stretched and began to get ready for bed. "It's good to see his improvement, soon we will be fully evenly matched when we fight on the game, just as we are in the real world."

Marinette had been enjoying the last week of playing Ultimate Mecha Strike IV with Cat Noir, and other online opponents when he wasn't online at the same time as she was. He was good but still just worse than Marinette, even if he beaten her several times in the last few days.

The longer they played the more Marinette had begun to notice moves in Cat Noir's style that she recognized. It had taken a week to realize where she had seen the moves as the mechanics were slightly different to the last game, but it was Adrien's style of play and she had watched him play enough at school, or when they practiced before the tournament, to know how he played the game.

That revelation had been huge, and she had spent the online time with him tonight confirming that it was in deed Adrien's style. It was why she had lost more than she had won during their hour long session as she had been mostly focused on Cat Noir's attacks rather than her own. Marinette knew that there were many different styles of play for the Ultimate Mecha Strike series but one thing that was constant was that any serious player always had a few quirks, a few strange move combos, and a few inventive methods that they used more often than others or in ways that no one else did. As a result if you knew how someone else played the game then you could figure out who that person was if you were to just watch the match without seeing who was controlling that particular robot. Marinette knew that this was true of her own style and had seen enough of Adrien's to know how his worked as well.

Cat Noir's style was exactly the same as Adrien's. There was no way around it and no way that Cat Noir could have developed the same style as Adrien without being him. That of course meant that if she was right then Adrien had a crush on her, well he had a crush on Ladybug as she knew that Cat Noir had a crush on Ladybug. Marinette hoped that that extended beyond the mask, even if he didn't know that it was her under it.

"Do you think that Adrien could be Cat Noir?" Marinette asked Tikki as she got into her lofted bed.

"Why do you think it's Adrien?" Tikki asked a little quickly and higher pitched than normal that would have normally tipped Marinette off, but she was too tired to fully notice it.

"Just that his play style is exactly the same as Cat Noir's" Marinette said with a yawn. "And I know gamers of mine and Adrien's caliber have traits to our styles that can't be replicated. I have watch Adrien play enough with Max to know his style."

"Well if Cat Noir really is Adrien then surely he would notice the same in your style as Adrien has played the last game with you." Tikki pointed out. "I told you that this could end badly if you tested it and it would appear that I am right."

"Nah, Adrien doesn't know my style well enough to be able to ID me from it." Marinette said with a yawn. "But you would tell me if I am right about him being Cat Noir, right?"

"I can't." Tikki said sadly. "As much as I would love to tell you who Cat Noir really is, the secret must stay a secret and you have to find out on your own, be it by accident, figuring it out on your own, or by his own confession. If I tell you then something bad might happen to me, it has happened to kwamis in the past who have divulged their human's secret identity to those who were not supposed to know. After the 9th time it happened to the Black Cat Kwami I knew enough to never want to suffer the cosmic consequences for divulging my human's secret to anyone."

"Huh, ok whatever." Marinette said as sleep began to call her into its sweet embrace. "Still pretty big coincidence that we were match on the game and now I am certain that Adrien is Cat Noir."

"Yeah it is a pretty big coincidence." Tikki said and Marinette was sure that she saw her kwami rub her little chin in thought as she closed her eyes and embraced sleep and dreams of Adrien, completely missing what Tikki said next. "Plagg, you have some explaining to do, I don't care what favor you called in for this, you have stretched the rules to the point of breaking and I am not getting your ass out of trouble this time."

* * *

Adrien turned on his gaming console and loaded up his Ultimate Mecha Strike IV account and waited for Ladybug to come online. After last night's gaming session, he was convinced that Marinette was Ladybug and tonight he was going to prove it. All it would take is calling her Marinette when she beat him with a skill move that only Marinette would use.

It didn't take long, only a few games against random players from around the world, for TheTrueLadybug came online and challenged him to a game. Smiling, Adrien accepted the challenge and got into the game.

As with all of their games, it was good one. After over a week of playing against each other, they were practically even with Marinette still having the edge on him due to her unorthodox style, even for a skilled gamer. Adrien chalked it up to her being female and thinking about the game in a slightly different way to the average guy who just saw it as a chance to smash robots with another dude in a testosterone fulled duel of masculinity. Marinette on the other hand used more tactics and defense while waiting to exploit a weakness in his aggressive style. The way Adrien had seen Marinette play the game often reminded him of when he and Ladybug fought against an akuma, another piece of evidence in his belief that Marinette was Ladybug.

It didn't take long for the moment to come. After another even battle she beat him to the special power and used Lucky Charm to summon a war hammer. Adrien used the Cataclysm power that his avatar had but it was too late. As he attacked, the red hammer with black spots collided with his robot's head, turning his avatar into scrap and defeating him.

"Damn, that was impressive Marinette." Adrien said just as he heard her say.

"Close but I got you this time Adrien."

* * *

"Wait! How did you know it was me?" Marinette asked as soon as Adrien had spoken her name. She had decided to call Adrien out by using his name and confirm that he was Cat Noir when she beat him in their opening game, she just hadn't expected him to use her real name as well.

"How did you know it was me?" Adrien replied, his tone astounded that she had known it was him.

"Your playing style." Marinette confessed. "I've seen it enough to know it pretty well."

"Oh damn, well same here." Adrien replied. "That was how I figured out that you are my lady, Marinette."

"That I am, kitty." Marinette said with a blush that she knew Adrien couldn't see. "I am and always will be yours, mon amour."

Now that she knew he liked her back and that she could talk to him normally as she had done so for over 2 years when they were in costume, she felt confident enough to banter and flirt with him a little. She wasn't going to let him off that easily though, not after putting up with those damned puns for so long, but she was going to toy with him like a cat plays with a ball of yarn for a little bit before she finally gave into her feelings. At least that was what she told herself knowing full well that that would fail the moment she saw him in real life, tackled him and made out with him.

"Glad to hear that." She heard Adrien's voice say. "And I feel like we have a lot to talk about given what we just figured out, but I don't know about you, but I have a defeat to avenge."

"Bring it." Marinette said with a feral grin. "You're mine kitty cat, all mine."

With that Marinette selected the rematch button and began another game as Adrien blustered and laughed on the other end of the connection. Yes, they did have a lot to talk about when they next saw each other, they had just found out the other's secret identity and confessed their feelings for one another, though Marinette had a feeling that Adrien hadn't picked up on that part. All that could wait, as could trying to figure out how they had been paired online because Marinette was sure that wasn't a coincidence, no that could wait. Right now, they had giant robots to fight and destroy while trash talking each other, Marinette couldn't be happier.

 **Another slightly differently styled oneshot that I hope worked for y'all. Next week's oneshot is one that I expect will be the 5th oneshot to achieve an epic classification (10,000+ words) and as such might not come out on time. It will also be the first oneshot in this series to feature both a deity and one of the Guardians of the Elements that I created for a different fanfic several years as characters and not just side mentions, so hopefully that will work as I would like to bring more of them in in later oneshots should they fit the prompt. As of right now I have 10 confirmed prompts in line with a further 4 self generated prompts (2 of which are reserved for the last 2) so there is plenty more to come. Regardless, keep giving me suggestions as y'all come up with a lot better stuff than I could ever hope to create on my own and I will continue to try and write unique oneshots based of your prompts. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	20. Trickster

**Here is the 20th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested several weeks back by the same person who has suggested many of the great prompts I have recently made like 'Messenger', 'Dreams', 'Memory' and 'Recording' and is being released a day early (so original time prior to the shift back a day a few weeks ago) as it has been completed in time and I will be unable to upload tomorrow. This is going to be the longest prompt I have written so far for this story, possible the longest out of all the prompts but that remains to be scene. It is so long because of all the background, establishment, and plot setting needed to make this idea work and this is one of the most unique ideas in this series. This is so far the first and possibly only oneshot almost entirely told from the point of view of a character not in the show, one of the few with a third party induced reveal, and the first oneshot to use known deities and one of my own Guardians of the Elements (so far only one other oneshot is set to feature a Guardian) as characters in the oneshot (for more on the Guardians of the Elements see my other fanfic 'Percy Jackson and the Guardians of the Elements' as that is where they come from). I just want to note that pretty much all my research on the Abenaki people and their trickster spirit Azeban (pronounced ah-zuh-bahn) comes from Wikipedia. The areas mentioned are known areas where the Abenaki are located, French is a language that they use, at the very least the Western Abenaki did fight with the French during the Anglo-French wars in that region, and there is an Abenaki museum in the province of Quebec. If I have gotten anything grossly wrong please let me know and I will change it. Anyway, that is enough rambling for an already massive oneshot. Sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Trickster.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show or the folklore of the Abenaki people.**

* * *

 **Trickster – When Azeban, a low-level trickster spirit of the Abenaki people, accidentally finds himself in Paris he is at a loss of what to do or how to get back. Forced to seek out one of the Guardians of the Elements to aid him in his attempt to return home, the Guardian reveals something surprising to Azeban; his old friend Plagg is currently active and in Paris at the moment. Azeban knew the kwami from the latter's days in America during the War of Independence and Plagg still owes a few outstanding debts to the trickster. Determined to cash in before he has to go back to North America, Azeban tells Plagg that his repayment will be a trick at the kwami's expense, a trick Plagg will not see coming and one that will have lasting and unforeseeable consequences for all involved.**

* * *

 **Trickster**

A jarring thud woke the sleeping creature from his deep slumber. He had been sleeping in the model wigwam that was usually kept in the cultural heritage museum that some Abenaki tribes had on their lands, this one having been located in the lands south of Quebec, Canada. The creature had planned to use the wigwam in his latest trick on the tribal chief, part of his millennia long, standing deal with all the tribal chiefs of the Abenaki people. If he could trick a tribal chief in an amusing and non-malevolent way in front of others then he would be rewarded with food for his endeavor. That food would either come from the chief as payment for letting himself be tricked or by the amused tribesmen and women who had watched the funny trick played on their chief.

That was the nature of the creature. He was a trickster spirit, a low-level divinity in godly terms and almost a non-factor in the massive pantheons of gods the world over as he was a localized spirit to the Abenaki. This lack of recognition from the other, more famous, gods did not affect the creature though for he was not concerned with the global godly politics that the more senior spirits of the Abenaki occasionally engaged in. All he cared about was a little harmless fun and the pursuit of food and other goods he wanted. He was Azeban, the raccoon of trickery and he currently had no fucking clue where he was.

As a god, well technically spiritual deity but Azeban wasn't one for divine semantics, he was not hindered by the usual limitations of his decedents seeing as he was a sentient being who could talk and walk like a human, despite being a raccoon. That being said, raccoons were known for decent night vision and good sense of touch and smell, traits Azeban had passed on to his children when he had created his own race of beasts in his image. As such, Azeban was able to tell that the lights were out and judging by the scent when he sniffed the air, he was in a box of some sort and not the tribal museum.

Just then there was a grinding sound and Azeban reflexively scurried up and into the top of the wigwam to hide himself. He may be a god, but mortals still freaked the fuck out when they encountered a raccoon in places they weren't expecting to find one and that always got worse when Azeban stood up and tried to talk his way out of it. That was something he did often, forgetting that most mortals did not expect to be addressed in French, English or Abenaki by an anthropomorphic raccoon. Best to hide and learn some more about his current surroundings before deciding what to do.

Seconds later there was a light that streamed into the container and a few annoyed grunts. At least Azeban could tell that he was in a shipping container of sorts based on the metal walls of the container.

"Should we take this shit out now?" Came a gruff voice speaking French. "Cos, I don't particularly want to lift this shit at this late hour."

Azeban had been in the Quebec region last and as his people were spread out all over the northeast of the United States and Canada he was fluent in both French and English, as well as the native language, all 3 being official languages of the Abenaki. That had not been the surprise though, Azeban had been half expecting to be somewhere that predominately spoke French, no it was the accent that the man had. The man who had spoken wasn't speaking in a Canadian French accent but a pure French accent from somewhere in the language's motherland. That had surprised Azeban, almost enough to cause him to call out in shock, as it was uncommon to hear that accent whenever he was in the French areas of Canada.

"No just leave it." Came another voice, also speaking similarly accented French. "This shit is apparently native American Indian tribal stuff for the exhibit on the Anglo-French war and our native allies in the war that cost us Canada. It will need the experts to sort it out and how to handle it, not two grunts with ham hands. I don't know about you but I don't want to ruin some priceless artifact just cos we didn't ask how to carry it. Come let's go get a drink, this will stay till morning."

Leaving the container door open Azeban heard the two grunts walk away, turn off the lights and close and lock what he assumed was a warehouse or basement door. That was when the dexterous raccoon leapt down, stood on his hind legs, and face palmed himself.

Of course, how had he been so stupid? The tribal chief had told him the other day over drinks that the cultural heritage museum was closing soon for renovations and that some of the artifacts there would be shipped to Paris, France to be displayed as part of a special exhibit during the renovations in Canada. Azeban had clearly forgotten this and tried to use the wigwam in his latest trick and fallen asleep while waiting for him moment. As a result of what must have been a really long sleep he had woken up in Paris of all places. This was just great.

Azeban had been to Europe a few times in his long life. Normally as an invitee for conferences of trickster deities or on indigenous spirits that were still alive and well. The former was often being too malicious for his tastes as he was one of the rare benign trickster with no bad intentions, the latter too depressing as more and more of his fellow low-level spirits faded as their cultures were forgotten over the years. Azeban had been fortunate that the tight-knit Abenaki had kept his and many of the other legends of their culture alive as it was that remembrance and worship that kept him tied to the earth.

However, he normally ended up in Scandinavia or Eastern Europe when he attended the godly conferences on the continent, not Paris. This was a city the trickster knew little about other than what he had learned in French Canada about the capital of their former colonists. He had to figure something out and soon as he couldn't be away from his people for too long or else he might begin to fade from their memories. The best port of call would be to make contact with another deity that had enough of a presence in Paris to manifest a physical form in the city and try to figure out what to do but there was a problem with that plan. France wasn't exactly known for having mythical deities from the old days.

Yes, the flame of the west had once burned over Western Europe before it had moved to the states but now there weren't many of the old European gods who cared for the western European countries. Most saw Europe as being in decline and refused to go there and the ones who did seldom stayed long as it was the old country and reminded them of centuries past that they would rather forget. Mostly they came for a little bit of fun and remembrance before returning to America. There was one last divine avenue that Azeban could explore for help.

Azeban growled to himself for having to figure out which of the last group of divine beings might have a strong enough presence in Paris to seek out, but he knew that it was the best option he had to find someone who could help him. While the gods were tied to the civilizations that had birthed them, there was one group that was tied to the world itself and as a result tended to ensure that they could be reached wherever and whenever providing that there was enough of a specific material to draw their presence. Azeban had to turn to the Guardians of the Elements.

Azeban had dealt with many of the Guardians in his long life, mostly the ones associated with more natural materials as he was a nature spirit, and got along well with the odd group of deities. The Guardians had once been known, worshiped and respected but over the eons they had willingly withdrawn from direct contact with mortals to preserve the elements and maintain a balance between order and chaos.

Nowadays they were unknown even to demigods and other non-gods of the mythical world other than myths or stories but if the rumors were true they had emerged from hiding and begun expanding for the first time in over 2,000 years with the addition of 6 more Guardians if the rumors were to be believed.

Whatever the case, Azeban liked the ones he knew so he had no reservations about trying to find one of them. Still it was always a crap shoot when you weren't in America, where the Guardians were based, on trying to figure out which Guardian to run into.

Sure, some of them were easier than others. Primordial Guardians like Water and Fire could be reached in lakes and volcanoes respectively, just the Guardian of Earth could be found in cave systems if you knew where to look. More abstract Guardians like Light and Darkness could be found by calling for them in the right settings but that was something that Azeban had never figured out. The Guardian of Nature, technically the Guardian who oversaw Azeban as a nature spirit, was simple for Azeban to find in a wood or forest but in a city there was no chance of finding him.

None of that helped Azeban at the moment as he didn't have the the time to figure out right now. He would have to seek out the more urban and man-made material Guardians like Glass, Technology, Salt, Alcohol, Oil, and Plastic as they might be easier to find in a city like Paris but again it was hard to figure out where they may be. As their elements tended to be too spread out.

No, Azeban knew that of all the Guardians of the Elements, the easiest to find in a city like Paris would be one of the ones he knew pretty well from back home from the burial ceremonies of his people. Still it was never a pleasant experience to go find that particular Guardian as Azeban was a nature spirit and tied to life and the outdoors, the Guardian he now sought was classified as an underworld Guardian.

Sighing and resigning himself to the task at hand, Azeban scurried out of the container and into what he assumed was a loading dock underneath a museum of sorts. He would have to rely on the mists, or similar magical obfuscation, to hide him while he traveled through Paris but that was not the main concern of his. That was reserved for finding the Guardian he expected to find, figuring out what was going on here and if the Guardian could help Azeban get home somehow.

* * *

Actually, finding the entrance to where he had wanted to go had been a lot easier than Azeban had expected. What was called the Catacombs of Paris was in fact part of the Paris Museum system, so it hadn't been hard for him to find a map that pointed to the catacombs entrance seeing as he had woken up in a different Parisian museum.

What had been hard had been getting away from the tourist paths and the tourists themselves who were still in the creepy Catacombs this late at night. Apparently there were some horror fans who liked coming here at this hour because of the morbid atmosphere. Azeban was a fun-loving trickster deity bound in nature, he found this disturbing as there were millions of bones down here and death had always sent shivers down the immortal raccoon's spine. Still Azeban gritted his teeth and continued through the shadows of the Catacombs public access part until he found what he was looking for.

Part of the Catacombs, accessible by a side tunnel, had been closed off for renovations but Azeban was a god and as such could see through the mist and knew that it was in fact an entrance to a lower level of the Catacombs that was almost certainly where he would find the Guardian he sought. Darting down the staircase that was hidden by the mist, and likely triggering some sort of magical alarm as he was entering what was likely a Guardian's residence, Azeban soon found himself in a long, forgotten corridor deep underneath the city of Paris.

This had been exactly what the trickster had been looking for. Many large European cities had these large tunnel complexes beneath them that were strewn with the skeletal remains of thousands or millions of people from back when the mortality rate was higher and there weren't many places to bury the dead. This place was no exception and Azeban had found himself scurrying across a thick layer of human remains, much to his own disgust at having to touch the bones with his sensitive paws, as he searched for what he was looking for.

He knew that a particular Guardian would have a presence here what with his element so close at hand and in such large quantities. True the Guardian's main conscious mind would either be somewhere in the states or one of the underworlds from mythology, but he was a near omniscient deity when it came to his element and could easily manifest a physical form here should he chose to do so. Something Azeban expected would happen as soon as the Guardian felt Azeban's divine essence in his territory.

That took shorter than Azeban expected. Azeban wasn't even hallway down the corridor when suddenly he was caught in the chest by a skull shooting up from the remains beneath him. The force of the blow drove the breath from his lungs and launched the raccoon into the air. Before Azeban could react a full skeletal arm, complete with hand, backhanded him in the face in midair and sent him spinning towards a wall. Azeban was pretty sure that the skeletal hand was giving him the finger in the process.

Azeban was dazed by the blow and expected to hit the wall and fall to the ground in defeat, he knew he had no hope against a Guardian in single combat, especially when the Guardian had ready access to his element. Instead, Azeban slammed into what felt like a full human spine with an open rib cage. As soon as Azeban hit the bones, the ribs closed around him and the tail of the spine curled up locking him in a disgusting, makeshift prison that then slammed into the wall. His head was out, roughly where a human head would be, the curled spine split his legs and pushed his tail out uncomfortably to the side and almost crushing his testicles, while his arms were sticking out between the ribs. The tightness of the bones were preventing Azeban from moving any part of his body. He was completely immobile inside the rib cage prison, certainly not one of the highlights of his long life.

Confused and stunned, Azeban blinked blearily, trying to clear his head, as the cage was lowered from the wall and twisted to hover in the middle of the corridor. Azeban groaned in pain at the surprise attack and cursed himself for being so foolish as to allow himself to be captured so easily, even if he had brazenly wandered into a Guardian's domain. He was a cunning trickster deity and he had just been caught as if he were a wild animal.

"Alright you got me you gods damned bastard." Azeban shouted in French as his wits returned to him, though clearly not enough to prevent him from insulting a Guardian. "Come on out and talk to me. I need help and you could be the only one who can aid me right now."

It probably wasn't a wise idea for him to challenge a Guardian in the Guardian's home but Azeban was never the wisest spirit and he was still a little frazzled by the attack. The Guardian nevertheless obliged the trickster though not in the way that Azeban had wanted but in a much more disgusting way.

There was a shuddering of the bones in the center of the corridor and several began to move towards the disturbance. Azeban watched in a mixture of fascination, amusement and horror as a left and right foot, complete with lower leg, hopped the center while each arm crawled there. Slowly the skeleton of a man began to form in the center of the corridor.

It started with the feet, then the pelvis, the spine and ribs were next as if a zipper formed them, followed by the arms. Lastly the skeleton held out its right hand and a skull, the very one that had head-butted Azeban, flew into its hand and it put the skull on its head, followed by setting a lower jaw bone into place.

With that done Azeban was forced to watch in revulsion as the internal organs, veins, arteries, nerves, muscles and everything else that made up the inside of a human being formed from the inside out, starting with a fully beating heart. The only difference being the blood. It wasn't red as Azeban knew human blood to be but gold. It was the ichor of the gods. Finally came the eyes, teeth, skin and hair and mercifully the show was over.

It had taken less than a minute for the Guardian to manifest his human form, but the image would be seared into Azeban's mind forever and haunt his nightmares for a long time to come. However, it had all been worth it as the person who Azeban had been seeking now stood in front of him. He had guessed right and had found the Guardian of Bones.

The man was just as Azeban last remembered him, which wasn't hard as he had last seen him only a few months ago during a special burial ritual up in Maine to honor the bones of the tribe's ancestors. The Guardian stood just shy of 6 feet tall, with short brown hair, a matching beard, eyes, slightly tanned skin and a semi muscular build. He wore black boots, dark blue jeans and a loose t-shirt the same brownish gray color of old bones. A bone bracer encircled his left forearm between his wrist and elbow. In a thigh rig on his left thigh was a straight knife with a bone handle that must have come from a ball in socket joint given the bulbous end of the handle. Though Azeban couldn't see it, he knew an extendable double tipped spear made of bone was attached to the Guardian's belt behind his back.

The last thing Azeban noticed was the ceremonial tattoo that all Guardians had on their right forearms that gave their current name, a Guardian's name sometimes changed with the different host locations for the flame of Western Civilization, and a number that corresponded with when that person became a Guardian and their place in the order of ascension to Guardianship. The tattoo was written in what looked like broken fragments of bones and read FRACTURE 20. Azeban may have been a spiritual deity but even the Gods of the major pantheons, well the sensible ones at least, paid respect to one of the Elemental Guardians. The ones that didn't usually ended up needing to heal for a few years depending on which Guardian they pissed off and the significance of that Guardian to that particular god's power.

"Fracture, Guardian of Bones, I am sorry for my rude intrusion upon a place of your element." Azeban said formally and with great respect in his voice that he reserved only for beings who had earned that respect in his eyes. "Please forgive my impertinence earlier and my unannounced arrival into your domain but as I said I am in need of help and you were the most likely being who could aid me. I'm sure you can guess why I need assistance."

"Azeban, what a completely unexpected surprise." Fracture said with a genuine note of surprise in British accented English voice. There was a quirk of his lips showing that he was not in a serious mood but still refusing to let the little trickster go, a punishment Azeban suspected he deserved at the moment. "I must admit when I sensed a divine presence enter one of my many domains, the Abenaki spirit of trickery was near the bottom of my list of gods to find in my French abode. I assume the reason why you have sought out my aid is because you have somehow, gods know how, ended up all the way in France and want to figure out what to do. Am I right?"

"Yeah I figured an old European city would have an ossuary like this and where there is bones, there is the Guardian of Bones." Azeban replied switching to English as that was what the Guardian was speaking and it was respectful to use that language while in Fracture's home. "I was hoping to trigger a manifestation of you in physical form, though not one as gross as what I just saw, to help me. As you pointed out I am stuck here and need a little help getting home as I am unfamiliar with the city."

"The show was for my own amusement and for your impertinence for scurrying down here unannounced." Fracture said with a smile to show that he wasn't mad at Azeban. For the most part, Guardians were neutral deities who tended to not mind intrusions so long as they were done for honest purposes. "So how did you get stuck in Paris my fury little friend?"

"Well can we go someplace better to talk?" Azeban said a little annoyed at the continued imprisonment and deliberate pandering that Fracture was giving him, even if it was in good humor. "Perhaps a place with some food, I am a little hungry after my ordeal of waking up in a container in Paris after going to sleep in a wigwam in Quebec."

"I swear you think with your stomach half the time." Fracture said with a laugh as he turned and walked down the corridor, Azeban floating in his cage behind the Guardian.

"Well it is in my nature but yeah that is kind of how I ended up here to begin with." Azeban admitted without much embarrassment. "I was planning a prank on one of the chiefs who lives out near Quebec and didn't remember that the stuff in the museum there was being shipped out here until I awoke in Paris. Not my finest moment, but then again neither is being trapped in a human rib cage."

"Well it's not the most stupid thing I've heard of in my long life, not by a long-shot." Fracture said as they reached the end of the corridor. "We can chat over dinner, I will give you the rundown of Paris and give you a little info you might find useful while here, but I suggest you leave as soon as possible. There is a cosmic balance at play when dealing with spirits of your particular nature is there not?"

"I agree." Azeban said trying and failing to nod his head. "Unlike you, I can't manifest my consciousness in multiple locations."

"Yes, the limitations of low level, small culture bound, deities." Fracture said and Azeban could hear the smile in the Guardian's words. "I do not miss those days."

Azeban was about to ask about Fracture's parentage, he knew that the Guardian of Bones was born as an illegitimate immortal but that was all he knew of the Guardian's past. However, given the man's dominion, Azeban had a feeling that at least one of Fracture's parents was either a death god or possibly even a lord of one of the underworlds. That all changed once they walked into the large hall that must have been the seat of Fracture's power within France.

Azeban's jaw fell open and hit the top of his rib cage cage at the grandeur of the room. In his long life he had only visited one Guardian's location of power and that had been the Guardian of Nature's palace in the North American forests near his own territory. That palace was grander and more magnificent but it also served as the Guardian of Nature's primary place of power and as such had to be an imposing display of his element. This place was not Fracture's primary place of power but regardless, it was very different from what Azeban had seen before.

They entered a large, circular room that must have been at least 2 stories tall. The floor was a patchwork of large bones so that none of the dirt beneath could be seen with many of bones being unidentifiable to Azeban. The walls themselves were made up of stacked skulls and not all of them were human. Some were animals, some monsters and some were of creatures that the raccoon could not clearly identify.

Around the wall were evenly spaced alcoves, each containing a fully armed and armored skeleton guard ranging from classic Spartan and Athenian military styles to Japanese samurai and all the way up to one that Azeban was sure was wearing the fatigues and body armor, complete with machine gun and pistol, of a French special forces commando. All the skeletal guards were standing at attention, immobile as if awaiting orders but Azeban and the creeping feeling that they were all watching him intently.

In addition to the alcoves, there were 3 other exits that Azeban assumed were at the cardinal directions and went off into other parts of the underground palace. It was an impressive room and the trickster god knew that it was just the formal entrance hall meaning that the rest of the place would be equally as impressive.

As they walked in, Fracture began to bark orders to the air in Ancient Greek. It was a language that Azeban could recognize but had no idea how to translate given that he had never bothered to learn it.

As soon as Fracture began to speak, skeletons, all humanoid at least though Azeban doubted that they had all been humans when they were alive, began to crawl out of the floor. Yet another disturbing sight for Azeban to watch but he put up with it and seeing that this was the Guardian of Bones' palace it was something to be expected. The skeletal servants instantly began to scurry around and follow the orders of their Guardian. In addition to this a large table, once again made of bones though at least they were polished white this time, rose from the center of the room while an ornate throne, also of bones, rose at the head of it. The throne was fitting for the Guardian of Bones to sit on while within his domain. It was a majestic and disturbing sight that Azeban couldn't even begin to properly describe.

The last thing that Azeban noticed was the change in Fracture himself as he walked into the room. Bone armor sprouted up in his shins, chest, arms and shoulders. It was clearly formal armor that was for ceremonial purposes though the spikes on it looked lethal. A cape the same color as his shirt appeared attached to the shoulder pads of his armor and ran down his back to drag lightly on the floor. In his right hand was his weapon of power, the long, two headed bone spear that Azeban knew the Guardian was lethal with in a fight. The last thing was the crown of bones that encircled Fracture's head. What made it more visually imposing was that the crown itself grew out of the Guardian's head.

Azeban was amazed at this display but he knew he should have expected it. He was in the entrance hall in a place of one of the Guardian's elements and was technically a visiting deity and as such had to be greeted by the Guardian in the formal manner. Azeban had seen the Guardian of Nature in a similar, wood and ivy themed, outfit the few times he had been to that palace deep in the woods of New Hampshire so he knew how impressive the sight was to behold. Fracture had to do this out of respect and tradition, even if as far as Azeban knew, few if any of the Guardians actually enjoyed this. Still it did not detract from the impression of unbridled power over his respective element that the formal attire created.

Moments later Fracture was seated comfortably on his throne, his spear stuck in the ground next to him, as he used his power to lower the cage onto the table in front of him so that Azeban could uncomfortably sit down while still imprisoned. Azeban was grateful that the Guardian was respecting his small stature and allowing him to sit on the table as it would make the conversation go much smoother, even if it wasn't formal etiquette to do so. As amazed at all this, Azeban knew that this was just a fraction of Fracture's true power and that his actual palace and seat of power, a palace rumored to sit on the banks of the River Styx would be much grander than this.

"Er can you release me?" Azeban said as soon as Fracture was settled and clearly done with the annoying formalities. "I am a guest in your home and claim the rights entitled to me as a guest."

"Technically I caught you before you could claim guest rights as you were trespassing in my home." Fracture said with a smirk. "And you are listed as a trickster god, albeit a benevolent one, and under the latest convention of godly rights, trickster gods were excluded from claiming guest rights as they had a habit of breaking their oaths or more accurately finding frustratingly impressive ways around said oaths. I ain't no fool Azeban, I won't be attacked here cos a trickster figured out a loophole. Last time that happened, at my place in Northern Sweden, I ended up having to skewer Loki and throw him down to Helheim, which destroyed that manifestation of the Norse God of Mischief. While I trust you to behave yourself given your track record and good divine alignment, I can't be too cautious now can I?"

"Fucking Loki." Azeban snarled. "That asshole makes us all look bad. Well admittedly most of my fellow tricksters are malevolent assholes who give us good tricksters a bad name but Loki is the king of those assholes. Still you are a Guardian, not a god, surely you can ignore a few conventions."

"Of course, I can." Fracture said with a grin. "And I am about to do that now, so long as you behave yourself. This is a serious meeting given the possible imbalance your presence here could cause the Abenaki back in North America, so I need you to be serious. Of course, I will provide you with the perfect outlet for your mischievous behavior. I am assuming that you have an old debt with a mutual friend of ours, if I know his nature as well as I do, and I am sure you would love to settle a longstanding debt."

"I have many old debts with many old beings that I would love to settle." Azeban said as he remembered the many times he had not been paid after tricking idiot deities or monsters into losing bets to him. "But some of those beings have a habit of leaving the states before I can grab their scrawny ass tail and force him to pay up or at the very least suffer a humiliating trick at my skilled paws. I do look forward to that though, depending on which person it is. First though, about this rib cage cage you have me in?"

Fracture just smirked at Azeban and waved his hand. Azeban who had been trying to stand fell back and twisted around like a turtle as he was unable to right himself. As he tried to get up the bones holding him began to disintegrate into dust and slowly released him from his containment. Unfortunately not before he got a good portion of bone power in his open mouth and the old bones caused him to wretch and gag as he sat up on the table.

"Did you really have to do that?" Azeban coughed out while glaring at a still smirking Fracture. "Unlike you I am not a big fan of ingesting old bone dust, that shit is nasty."

"True it isn't the most pleasant taste, I'll grant you that." Fracture said. "And while I didn't have to do that, I wanted to, and it was a lot of fun for me. Loosen up my fury friend, just some harmless jokes, I'm sure you understand a little harmless trickery."

Azeban glared at Fracture for a moment before he burst into laughter at it, the laughter causing another gaging fit from the aftertaste of the bone dust. The little raccoon knew when he had fallen into a trick and could easily laugh at himself when he had to. This was such a time when someone else had managed to trick the trickster god. Besides, Azeban was in a Guardian's palace, a place where that Guardian was likely unmatched in power, so he couldn't really do anything against Fracture even if he had wanted to. Plus, he needed Fracture's help to get out of this mess he had ended up in, so he may as well let the Guardian have his fun, he would get his revenge when the time was right.

"Where is that food you promised?" Azeban asked once he and Fracture had recovered from their laughter. "I feel like I need something strong to wash this taste out of my mouth. Also, it is food and I do enjoy a good meal when I can get my grubby little paws on one."

"You're a raccoon, I'm sure you have eaten a lot worse." Fracture said to which Azeban could only nod in agreement at the truth of Fracture's statement. "But do not worry, I will give you something strong enough to rinse the taste out of your mouth without searing your taste buds right off."

With that Fracture snapped his fingers and 5 skeletons walked in all wearing waiter's clothes over their bare bones. Two carried covered silver trays that they laid down in front of each deity. Another set out silverware for Fracture but not for Azeban as the raccoon wouldn't need a set. The fourth placed a gobbled made out of bones, including a hollowed out skull of a monster that would contain the drink, right in front of Fracture and a bowl in front of Azeban. The last skeleton, in slightly more formal clothes, approached Fracture with a bottle of red wine and spoke to the Guardian in a series of clacking sounds made from his jaw opening and shutting as he presented the wine bottle to the Guardian.

"Yes, we will both take some of that, thank you Garcon." Fracture said in response and nodding to the bottle. "As always you have selected a fine vintage for us to enjoy."

The skeletal waiter nodded professionally and poured a little of the red wine into the goblet that Fracture tried and nodded in assent, so the waiter topped it off before pouring the dark liquid into Azeban's bowl. Azeban enjoyed a good drink but preferred the harder stuff to the smooth wine but even the tricky raccoon knew that the French were famous for their wine, so he wasn't going to begrudge the drink he was being offered while in Fracture's palace.

"Leave the bottle." Fracture said, and the waiter did so placing it on the table off to the side so that it wasn't between Fracture and Azeban. "Leave us, I will call for y'all when we need to clear up, thank you."

The waiter gave a few clacks at Fracture before he and his team bowed formally to their Guardian and walked off. The whole experience had been surreal to Azeban as he was not used to seeing how the underworld side of the mythical world operated, but he had come down here to seek out the Guardian of Bones, so he couldn't complain about the sights he had seen.

"Sorry about that, the skeletons are just reanimated husks of their former bodies, their souls are already in the underworld." Fracture said as he lifted the lid off his food to reveal a piece of fillet minion, cooked rare, and all the trimmings. "However as I cannot create flesh other than forming my own when I take human form I cannot give them tongues. As a result they can only speak in a series of clacks that I and any child of Hades or Pluto can understand but few outside of the underworld know the language of the skeletons. Please do begin and tell me what you want to know about Paris."

"Well what I want to know is what the current situation out here is." Azeban said deciding not to ask for more information about Fracture's servants. "You know, who controls what, which gods are still present in the area, monsters to deal with, that sort of thing. I assumed that you would be the easiest Guardian to find given the high likelihood of an ossuary beneath the city and that the Guardians at least would have some presence out here but that was about it."

As Azeban spoke he lifted up the covering on his food and stared at the meal he had been served. It was a mix of various insects that were either fried or raw, lean slices of cooked meat, and a selection of leaves and berries, everything needed for a raccoon's balance diet.

"I had the chef whip up something that would satisfy a common raccoon." Fracture said at the look of on Azeban's face. "I wasn't sure if you ate other foods so I decided to play it safe."

"That is fine with me, food is food and we raccoons are omnivores" Azeban said as he dug into the meal with gusto. Azeban may be a god and the father of all raccoons but that didn't stop him from enjoying the same foods that his descendants did. "I assume that this meat is rat."

"That would be correct." Fracture replied as he cut into his steak. "As well as a few slices of pigeon breast if what Garcon said was true and he is too much of a professional to lie to his master. Small mammals and birds are slim pickings in a city, basically just rats, pigeons or squirrels these days and given our location it's pretty much exclusively the former. That being said, it isn't too hard to trap the occasional pigeon while it is wandering about on the surface above us."

"I'm not complaining, just observing." Azeban said as he continued to eat with gusty, trying and failing to not make a mess. "I never developed a taste for the larger mammals, its mainly rodents, small birds, fish, and bugs for me."

"Good to know." Fracture said as he took a sip of wine clearly enjoying the dark red liquid.

Azeban decided to try the alcohol and lapped at it in his bowl. As soon as he tasted it he knew that it was high quality shit and lapped up some more. It also helped remove the last traces of bone dust from his tongue.

"This is some good wine." Azeban commented when he was done drinking, making sure that he was savoring the alcohol. "I usually prefer some local moonshine or bourbon, but I can get down with this shit."

"We are in France my friend, so I felt that we could enjoy some of Vina's finest while we are here." Fracture said with a smile. "As the mortals say; 'when in Rome' or in this case Paris."

"This was made by the Guardian of Alcohol?" Azeban asked amazed. "No wonder it is good, better than the few times I have tried wine stateside. Trust me if a wine was made in Long Island and comes in a bag do not drink it. I am surprised you decided to use her current name in my presence. Don't names hold power for you European deities, even more so for the Guardians. I would have thought you only spoke each other's names when in the presence of one another."

"No matter the culture, the names of gods, even yours, hold some level of power regardless." Fracture said as he took a bite of steak. "Same goes with monsters. The more powerful the being, the more powerful the name. However, as you already know her name and I am a Guardian, so it means nothing to me to use it in your company. Besides, the only Guardians I won't name in the presence of another god are the 4 primordial or original Guardians, the Guardians of Light, Fire, Thunder, and Water, and of course the Master Guardian's name but that is out of respect to the founders of the Guardians of the Elements and their unmatched power within our order. Remember, those 5 were not born on this earth as the rest of us were, they were created by Chaos himself, either in the Master's case from raw chaotic power, or from their primordial elements in the case of the other 4. They are the pure embodiment of their respective elements and can never have their powers stripped the way the first Guardian of Ghosts had her powers stripped when she betrayed us. So you see, I have no problem with other names, even those of my godly parents."

"I had been meaning to ask you about that." Azeban said through a mouthful of what he suspected was a deep-fried spider as he digested both the spider and the words that Fracture had just said to him about the oldest of the Elemental Guardians. "Who are your parents? I know that parentage has nothing to do with ascension to the ranks of the Guardians, but which category do you fall into. Are you like the Nature Guardian and the illegitimate immortal child of two gods, were you once a demigod son of I presume Hades given your assigned element or were you just a regular mortal who got lucky and caught the eye of the Master Guardian."

"The first one, as is the case with the majority of my brethren." Fracture said without hesitation. "I always forget how smart you trickster gods can be but then again it takes brains to be a trickster. I am the illegitimate son of Hades and Nyx, the primordial goddess of night and I have no idea what drew them together so don't bother asking about that. Interestingly they had another child though the father was Hades Roman form, Pluto. As a result she turned out differently due to the different natures of Pluto and Hades and has recently been made the Guardian of Gems, one of the 6 new Guardians we have added since the prophecy was fulfilled and we were allowed to grow our numbers once more. All 5 Guardians who are linked to the underworld are children of Nyx with different fathers or versions of the same god in mine and my sister's case and all of us have problems with our mother. I was granted the element of Bones when I was made a Guardian due to my affinity for the skeletal side of my father's power."

"Interesting." Azeban said as he finished off his food and sat back on the table rubbing his full belly. "Y'all are so very different to what I knew before the torch passed over to America. You weren't around much before the Anglo-French wars when your Master Guardian relocated you to America. Before then you visited sporadically and normally it was the more naturally occurring Guardians like Nature, Water, Fire, Thunder, and Ice. The more artificial based Guardians and the underworld ones seldom visited us until the torch moved to America."

"Different cultures work in different ways." Fracture said. "Though the purpose of the Guardians is to bridge all that and simply protect and preserve our elements and the balance of the world as a whole for we are the last line of defense between order and chaos. One of our new Guardians is an illegitimate immortal child of an Aztec goddess and a Mayan god, the first Guardian to be named who was not related to a European or West Asian deity. But we have digressed, let us get back to the issue at hand; what to tell you of Paris."

"Yes, I should probably know more about this place." Azeban said with a nod. "When I get back I am not going to hear the end of this from the tribal chiefs. I have done some pretty stupid things in the past but waking up on the other side of the Atlantic ranks in the top 5 I think."

"Almost certainly not." Fracture said with a smirk. "Arbor will find this very amusing when I tell him the story over drinks in a few days."

"Great, that will come up next time I am summoned the Guardian of Nature's court for whatever festival he wants to celebrate." Azeban huffed. "Oh well, as you said it ain't the most stupid thing any of us have ever done."

"Very true." Fracture said with a nod. "Now before I tell you more about the current situation in Paris, which is very different from the rest of Europe for a specific reason, I want you to focus on the energy around you. As a trickster god I presume you have some magical abilities and can sense some of the ambient magic around you."

"I wouldn't be a trickster if I couldn't." Azeban said with a note of pride. "We need a hint of magic to pull off our many tricks."

"Then tell me what you sense." Fracture said leaning forward and looking intently at Azeban. "I presume that you weren't thinking straight when you arrived here, I wouldn't either if I had been in your situation, and rightfully sought out the most likely Guardian in a city the size of Paris rather than sense your surroundings. Now you are safe for the moment, so check the magic here Azeban and tell me what you feel."

Azeban gave Fracture a confused look but shrugged, stood on his hind legs, closed his eyes, and sniffed the air. Azeban opened his divine senses up to the universe around him and allowed the flow of magic to come to him. While he wasn't particularly skilled with the arcane element, he could manipulate and sense it enough to accomplish his tricks so he had a decent affinity for it. It was essential in his line of work.

What he sensed was more than he could have ever expected. The pure, raw, magic in the air of Paris overwhelmed him and caused him to fall back onto his ass onto the table, an act that got a laugh out of Fracture. The ambient magic in Paris was at a level that Azeban had only felt in one place he had ever visited, Ilvermorny, that Wizard School in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts that trained young mortal witches and wizards in the art of magic. A school that he had helped set up along with the Guardian of Magic, a an Irish witch, her non magical husband, and the local tribal shamans and Native American spirits almost 400 years ago.

This magic was different however. It was purer, rawer, not tainted with the use of it by humans but almost as if it was the physical manifestation of magic itself. It permeated the air as if some force of pure magic had been used repetitively all over Paris for over a year, 2 if his senses were right. It was so potent that he could feel it deep in the Catacombs in the heart of a different Guardian's seat of power. There was a familiar taste to the magic though, almost a buggy taste and one that Azeban had not tasted in over 200 years and his memory couldn't quite place that taste at this moment in time but he thought that it might be beetles of some sort.

"I see you can sense the pure magical energy that permeates Paris, even deep below ground in my own place of power." Fracture said with a chuckle as Azeban sat up again, his head spinning from the sudden sensation of magic. "Course, this is only a local place of power for this part of Europe. In my true place of power in the underworld you wouldn't feel the magical energy that currently courses through Paris unless it was coming from within the palace. Still, even I can feel it that is how potent it is and my affinity is minimal at best."

"What, what is it?" Azeban asked still slightly stunned by the magic. "I have felt power like this before but only at Ilvermorny, not here. The taste is familiar though for some reason. I assume that the Guardian of Magic is involved in this somehow, it is too strong for him to not be involved in someway."

"Indirectly." Fracture said. "Though the potency of his element has drawn his presence here more than it usual would. He is currently in Scotland on a mission for the Master Guardian that was commissioned by my father as he sought our aid to bring a mortal who has cheated death to justice. As a result the Guardians of Magic, Time and Wisdom have been sent there along with a large group of demigods to aid the mortals there in fulfilling a prophecy. Cos Mage is currently in a place of magic he can keep his primary manifestation there but he sometimes manifests out here due to the situation in Paris and the high amount of pure magic currently present in the city."

"Why is the power here different to the school in Massachusetts?" Azeban asked. "I can sense a high concentration of magic here and at Ilvermorny but its purer here for some reason."

"Well what you are sensing here is different to what you would sense at Ilvermorny or the 10 other magical schools." Fracture said. "As what you are feeling here is raw, unchecked magic and not the filtered stuff at the schools that comes from mortals with an affinity for it channeling it through wooden sticks. Or so I have been told, I am not an expert on the art of magic. However, as you know, since Mage granted humans the ability to use magic back in Ancient Greece, the art has spread all over the world. Magic is an element unique as has a life all of its own and at this point not even Mage could tame it if he wanted to, only channel it so that balance is maintained. No other element has the permeated the world the way magic has, nor does any other element behave in the unchecked way that magic does with the possible exception of chaos but only the Master Guardian can harness that element. While I do not know the details, I do know that at times and through extreme meditation at a specific location, Mage can call upon the pure magic to forge certain items and tie a physical manifestation of an aspect of magic to this earth. It serves as a way to balance magic by containing a particular aspect of the element within a vessel and a being linked to said vessel. That manifestation and its item are pure, raw, magic. It can never be destroyed and once unleashed it permeates the air with its pure force. That is what you are sensing, 2 years' worth of pure magic being used in a battle of good versus evil that has been raging in Paris since then. Mage expects more children to be born with an affinity for magic to non magical parents in Paris and the surrounding area for at least a decade because of all the magic that has seeped into the air, though he won't know for sure for at least 5 more years or so."

"Ah, that makes sense." Azeban said after a moment to think through Fracture's words. He had decided to not interrupt the Guardian's speech as he had wanted to learn as much as he he could in one go before commenting on it. "I presume the reason why you have more of a presence here is because of this level of magic and the Master Guardian's desire to keep his Guardians near any potential action that could effect the balance of the world. Right?"

"You really are too smart for your own good but as I said, Mage is busy right now." Fracture said with a shrug while Azeban's ego absorbed the compliment. "And the Catacombs of Paris do have a large amount of bones, so it made sense for me to exert more of a presence here than I used to do. It keeps me close to the UK where the current mission is going on that my father has a lot of investment in, and one of my half brothers on dad's side is there right now, and it allows me to keep an eye on the situation here so it is a win win in the Master's eyes. As you know, we Guardians cannot directly involve ourselves with the affairs of mortals, just as the gods can't though as a localized and low-level spiritual deity you are an exception to that rule. The items at play were created by the Guardian of Magic and as such we must at least look over them whenever they are in use to avoid their power from being abused. Alas, one of the items' power is being corrupted as we speak and being used for evil."

"Items you say." Azeban said as a memory from a long time ago come to his mind. Rubbing his chin with his paws he tried to recall the events where he had once before tasted this level of magic, it had been during the American Revolution if he recalled correctly. "You wouldn't happen to have a name for them, would you? I know that I have tasted this magic before and I am pretty sure I can remember roughly when I tasted it, but my memory is failing me on the precise details. I usually just focus on tricks and fun, not the recollection of powerful magic."

"I am sure you will remember everything once I tell you what the items are called." Fracture said with a knowing smirk. "They are known as miraculouses."

Once again Azeban's jaw dropped, this time at the term that Fracture had just used. It had been almost a quarter of a millennia since he had last heard that word uttered but as soon as Fracture had mentioned it, it all came back to the trickster in a rush. He remembered why the taste in the air was familiar, it was the taste of the pure magical creation caused by a specific magical power that had only one source in the entire world. The raw magic in the air was that of not one, but 3 miraculouses that had been used regularly for almost 2 years. No wonder Paris felt so magical right now.

Once all that settled in, Azeban's shock turned into a feral, animalistic grin. Fate was a cruel and mysterious mistress who acted in ways no one could predict, but today he owed that old hag a fruit basket. Somehow, by falling asleep in a wigwam and accidentally being transported to Paris had allowed Azeban to settle a long overdue debt with an old friend had made during the Revolution.

"I presume that if I can taste the magic of creation, the magic of destruction is at play as well." Azeban said as a smile began to grace his lips, showing off his pointed canines. "Which would mean that he is here and active once more. Fate has really smiled upon me to put me so close to one of my longest standing debtors."

"You would presume correct Azeban." Fracture said with an equally wicked grin. "And he has been up to his old ways for the past 2 years. Such is the nature of destruction after all, he cannot help it."

"You wouldn't happen to be able to show me where he is?" Azeban asked as he began to think of collecting the debt owed him. "I know I need to get back to my own territory as soon as possible but fate has handed me a gift here, the chance to settle an old debt and I intend to collect it one way or another. Please oh powerful Guardian of Bones, tell me where Plagg is."

"I can do one better." Fracture said still grinning. "I can show you where he is. I will give you a fortnight to settle with him by whatever means you see fit though you cannot remove him from Paris or reveal yourself to his human, Plagg may tell Adrien of you when you are gone but that is fine so long as Adrien doesn't actually see you. Should he see you, you had better act like a dumb and very lost raccoon, no trying to talk your way out of trouble. Arbor told me that the last time you tried that you spent a month in pest detention center in Vermont, I'm sure you don't want to repeat that experience. Anyway, once that time has elapsed I will forcefully ensure that you are returned to your own territory. I suggest you sorting this shit out sooner rather than later while I make the necessary arrangements to get your fury ass back home as quickly as possible."

"I understand, 2 weeks is plenty of time to deal with that little kwami." Azeban said rubbing his paws as he thought of the best strategy for what to do and realized he would have to study Plagg and his new human a little before he enacted anything against Plagg. "I presume he is still up to his usual ways, as you have claimed."

"Of course, as sentient as kwamis are, they are just like Gods, Guardians, Spiritual Deities and monsters as they are in effect gods in their own right." Fracture said. "We are all slaves to our base nature, the nature of the power that gives us immortality and what we are worshiped or known for. While we have some control over it, in the end we will keep doing the same shit over and over again because it is the core of our beings. Just as you will always cause mischief and trickery in a benevolent manner, Plagg will always find new ways to engage in destructive behavior for himself. Just the other day Plagg was down here with me, Hades, the Guardian of Darkness, and Osiris enjoying a game of cards, few mason jars of Vina's finest Smoky Mountain Moonshine and seeing if we could throw ping pong balls into Mimir's mouth."

"That sounds like a lot of fun, shame I wasn't there for added mischief." Azeban said with a gleam of trickery in his eyes. "What happened? I assume something pretty epic."

"I dunno about Plagg, he was pretty drunk and composing an epic poem twice the length of the Iliad all about glories cheese and its creator Aristaeus last I remember but he can't leave Paris without his human's permission, so he probably ended up home safely with a few minor incidents along the way." Fracture said with a shrug. "As for the rest of us, well let's just say I have no idea how I woke up in an Ancient Egyptian crypt that the mortals still haven't discovered or why I was cuddling a life-sized statute of Anubis with two cobras around my neck 4 days after the party. As I said, it was a wild night and Vina's home brewed moonshine fucks with you, hard."

"Yeah I remember, I tried it once and lost a good weekend or maybe an entire month, I can't precisely remember." Azeban said with a grin. "I remember the nights Plagg and I would spend playing games and drinking rough whiskey and eating coyote jerky in the backwoods while hiding out from the British, good times. We ended up in a few interesting situations, though I still deny sleeping with that grizzly bear, or that moose, or that elk, or that beaver, no matter what Plagg claims to the contrary. The skunk I can't deny as she sprayed me afterwards and it took months to get her scent off me, the other raccoons wouldn't touch me because of it."

"Azeban, those are images I never wanted to see and will never get out of my head." Fracture said with a shudder. "Thank you for sharing."

"Consider it payback for the earlier gory show you put me through." Azeban replied with a grin.

"Touché my old friend." Fracture said with a nod and a tip of his goblet to Azeban as he rose from his throne. "But night is a wasting and we need to get moving. Come, let us visit our old friend Plagg."

Azeban just nodded as he scurried over to the edge of the table and hopped of it. Standing in his hind legs, the tricky little raccoon watched as the ceremonial armor turned to dust so that Fracture stood normally in front of him, wearing the standard uniform of the Guardians once more. The Guardian barked a few words in ancient Greek as he shrunk his spear and reattached it to the back of his belt.

As soon as he spoke, several skeletons walked in and cleared the table. One, dressed in the outfit of a French aristocrat's manservant's clothes walked up to Fracture holding a folded cloak. Fracture thanked the skeleton as he took and donned the cloak, it was the same color as his shirt and fastened it around his neck with a ornate clasp made out of polished bone. Pulling the hood over his head so that the cowl hid most of his face he turned and walked towards a different corridor, the tail of the cloak billowing out behind him.

"I assume you know a different way out to the way I came in." Azeban said as he scurried on all fours to catch up with and walk next to Fracture.

"This is my palace, of course I know all the ways out of it." Fracture replied as they walked down a bone lined corridor before taking a side passage that quickly turned into a flight of stairs leading up to the surface. "Why are you on all fours, can't you walk on your hind legs?"

"I can, it is me who that cartoon raccoon in that popular American superhero show is based off after all, but it is easier to climb like this." Azeban said. "Plus, once we get out of here the mist will cover me better if I am on all fours."

"True." Fracture said with a nod. "Your children may be a problem in Germany at the moment, but they haven't spread this far into France, yet."

"That was not my fault." Azeban said. "I had nothing to do with the raccoon relocation programs."

"I know." Fracture said. "Still amusing though. As would me putting a collar and lease on you and trying to pass you off as my weird looking dog."

"Try it and see what happens bone boy." Azeban snarled bearing his teeth.

"I would probably succeed with limited effort given that we are still in my domain fury brain." Fracture retorted.

Azeban just huffed at the truth of Fracture's words as they exited the catacombs through a door that Azeban was sure could only be seen by people who could see through the mist. After that the pair walked in silence through the dark streets of Paris. In the early hours of the morning there weren't that many people out and about and the few who were wandering around, usual drunk tourists or shady figures from the cities underbelly, gave the pair a wide berth if they even noticed the hooded man and raccoon who were wandering through the streets of Paris. If they did, the aura of power coming off the pair would be enough to deter even the most stupid of would be assailants.

Eventually they reached a large mansion in the heart of the city's wealthiest district. It had high walls, an imposing gate, and very distinctive security cameras all around the outside meaning that there twice as many hidden cameras scattered about. It looked more like a fortress or a prison then a house but Azeban could not deny that the feeling of magic, both good and evil, that radiated from this building in waves.

If he had to guess, there were two miraculouses and kwamis living in this house. One was Plagg, the taste of his destruction was very familiar to Azeban now that he knew what to look for. The other was new to him and must have been one of the other kwamis he had not met as only Plagg and Tikki had been active during the War of Independence. The other kwami's magic felt off though, as if it had been corrupted by a malevolent energy and forced to do great evil against its will.

"Plagg is not the only kwami in this place, is he?" Azeban asked Fracture as they stopped outside. The trickster stood up on his hind legs so that he could talk better to the Guardian, though he still barely reached Fracture's waist.

"Correct." Fracture said with a hint of displeasure at something evident in his voice. "According to Mage, Nooroo, the kwami of generosity and bound to this plain by the Moth Miraculous broach, is located in this building as well and being used by a villain called Hawk Moth for evil. The boy, Adrien Agreste, is the holder of the Black Cat Miraculous and Plagg's current human. His father Gabriel Agreste holds the Moth Miraculous and is the one who is using it for evil. Neither knows about the other and you cannot tell Plagg either that Nooroo is here or who his master is and that is what Gabriel is to Nooroo, his master. Nooroo is nothing more than a slave and a tool for Hawk Moth to accomplish his ultimate goal. The power of the miraculouses will prevent you from divulging that information anyway but as I have said you are a trickster and your kind seems to be very adept and finding ways around the rules for some annoying reason."

"What can I say, it's in our nature." Azeban said with a devilish grin. "We just have an innate ability to find loopholes."

"Yes well violating this could mean a visit from an unpleasant deity in the future." Fracture said causing Azeban to blanch at the ominous note in Fracture's tone before the Guardian of Bones took a lighter tone and continued. "Anyway, Mage believes that the Peahen Miraculous is also here but as it is not active my basic understanding of magic is insufficient to feel it. three other miraculouses have occasionally be activated but again I can't sense them due to their lack of use."

"Mine isn't much better." Azeban said as he strained to feel the magic in the air around him. "There is a dull, dormant magical force in there but that is about it. I can also sense 3 other pure magical sources that are likely kwamis and their miraculouses you mentioned but they have been used too infrequently to distinguish with my limited abilities. Very well I will not tell Plagg of what is here, as much as I do enjoy skirting the rules I know my duties of noninterference. I have no intention of running into any of the deities that punish rule breakers, I heard Styx is especially unforgiving."

"Good and yes she is but then again you would be if your river was used to make sacred and binding oaths." Fracture said before pointing to a series of large windows on the second floor. "Those large windows are where Adrien's room is, Plagg should be there sleeping right now. Based on reports, according to one of my assistants in my ossuary that is charged with monitoring the local news, there was an akuma attack today which meant that Plagg was force to transform and battle it. As such he should be asleep as he never has enough energy to party after a transformation."

"Akuma attack?" Azeban asked confused at the unfamiliar word. "What's that? Remember, the only time I came across the kwamis and their miraculouses was during the American War of Independence. Back then they were active to help expel the tyrannical British from America, something that they were often used for from what I was able to gather when I spoke with Plagg and Tikki during the war."

"Almost exclusively have the miraculouses been used to correct an injustice or oppression in the world." Fracture said. "Or at least as the leader of the Order of Guardians, no relation to us they are just the sworn protectors of the miraculouses, define it and that definition has varied greatly over the millennia. However there is an even more important circumstance when the miraculouses must be activated, something that has only been happened 3 times before and not for over 2,000 years. That situation being to capture a miraculous that has been corrupted by an evil force. When Mage created the miraculouses, at the request of an order of magic worshiping monks out in China, he created items of immense power, which because of their power had the potential to corrupt someone as can happen with great power. Only those who are truly trustworthy and embody the principals of the various miraculouses can wield them safely. Anyone else might be corrupted by the power and use them for their own selfish reasons. This is the first time that has happened in a long time as Hawk Moth uses the power of the Moth Miraculous, a power that allows him to grant an individual a superpower but makes that person obedient to Hawk Moth as Hawk Moth can take away that power just as easily as he can give it. The individual affected will have no memory of their actions while a super villain and only the power of Ladybug's yo-yo can purify the evil akumas. This process is called akumadization and if the miraculous is used correctly can be given to heroes who show great courage, strength or other noble emotions that put others above themselves. However, Hawk Moth has warped the power to feed of negative emotions like pain, anger, hatred and jealousy to create super villains who become corrupted by their emotions and the power vested in them and as a result aid Hawk Moth towards his end goal. Something about fusing the original two miraculouses to change reality and granting himself a wish that if executed will have an equal an opposite effect as the world corrects for the imbalance of power. I don't know, by that point I was so bored with Mage's explanation that I chugged a bottle of Absinthe, smacked him in the face with it and then woke up naked in Antarctica with a few emperor penguins huddling up to me and no memory of how I had gotten there. Not a good morning."

"So, this time the miraculouses have been activated to stop an evil user of one of them, right?" Azeban asked as he tried to understand Fracture's rant while trying in vain to not picture the image Fracture had just painted in his mind.

"Correct." Fracture said with a nod. "Now go and wait on the windowsill, I will contact Morpheus and have him wake Plagg from whatever weird dream the kwami is currently having. Then I will leave what you plan to do up to you. Just remember the rules."

"I know, don't tell him about Hawk Moth's true identity, don't remove his destructive ass from Paris, don't show myself to his human, and do it all in 2 weeks." Azeban said in a bored tone. "Don't worry I am a professional and I want to get home as soon as possible, it will be done within the time frame. This is a debt that is 240 years overdue."

"I understand." Fracture said and as Azeban looked at the Guardian he saw the man's skin and clothes begin to decay in front of his eyes and turn to dust that was carried away on a light breeze but not before Fracture got out a few more choice words. "You have a fortnight and then meet me atop the Eiffel Tower, there I will ensure you are sent home and that balance you serve a part of to the Abenaki is restored before any harm can come to them. Have fun old friend, soon we shall drink, and you will regale me this tale when we next meet in the states. Get up to no good, you little trickster."

As he had been speaking the muscles, arteries, veins and organs that made up the inside of a normal human appeared in reverse order to how they had been revealed to Azeban only hours before. This time however they blackened, decayed, died and turned to dust, as did the clothes before the rest of him thus showing Azeban the horrible process completely in reverse, until only a full skeleton stood in the street radiating the power only a Guardian could create. Fracture, in his purest form as one with his assigned element, saluted Azeban before the skeleton as well slowly turned to dust to be carried away on the wind and remove the physical manifestation of the Guardian of Bones from Paris.

Azeban shuddered and shook his head at the sight and showmanship that appeared to be inherent to most if not all of the Guardians when they made their entrances and exits before he turned to face the mansion. The mundane, mortal technology would be no match for the Abenaki spirit of trickery as Azeban knew that he would not be detected. Only the cameras and surveillance systems created by the Guardian of Technology would stand a chance at detecting a divine spirit like Azeban.

With that in mind, the dexterous raccoon grinned and scurried up the wall and towards his destination. He was looking forward to seeing his old friend Plagg and finally settling the long-standing debt the little kwami owed him after all these years. One way or another, Plagg would pay Azeban his fair does, it all depended on how their impending meeting went. Smiling his feral, animalistic grin, Azeban found the windowsill and waited for Plagg to wake. For once, fate had been kind to the tricky raccoon.

* * *

Plagg sighed in contentment as he enjoyed the most perfect dream anyone could have. A few weeks back he had won a bet with Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams, in the final round of a game of blackjack Plagg was playing with a bunch of the minor underworld gods from Greece and Rome. It was a bet that Plagg had been happy to make as the payout was something he couldn't resist.

The bet had been for complete and unlimited access to the Dreamscape. The Dreamscape was the vast interconnected network that existed within the subconscious plain of existence and linked everyone's dreams to a central network that the dream gods had created eons ago.

The Dreamscape could only be accessed either with a special magical charm of which only a few existed and were all in America in the hands of a few magical protectors, special permission from Morpheus or another dream god who controlled said Dreamscape as part of their divine abilities, or due to a quirk in the magic of the miraculous when the holders of the original two miraculouses were deeply in love with each other. The last one only allowed the participants access to each other's dreams and not the full Dreamscape but it did allow them to experience an intense waking dream with one another that they had the power to edit.

Plagg was amazed that the last way to access the Dreamscape hadn't happened yet to Adrien and Marinette given how deeply, and obliviously, they were in love with one another but Plagg had long ago decided not to question that. He had been more concerned with gaining special, unfettered, access from Morpheus. Had he lost, Plagg would have had to figure out a way to allow the dream god access to the cataclysm power Plagg possessed and that was easier said than done. Fortunately, Plagg had prevailed.

Despite his natural bad luck, fortune had smiled kindly upon Plagg that round and he had been dealt an ace and jack of spade, the best possible hand based on the rules they were playing at the time, and thus won the hand and the bet. Since then, whenever Plagg fell asleep he entered the Dreamscape and even though he was asleep, he had full and unbridled access to subconscious dream realm and could control his own dreams without a problem.

That had naturally lead to him creating his perfect dream, remembering and enjoying it fully every night he fell asleep while sober and not because of some stupid drinking game he had played with whichever god, Guardian, or spirit that was hosting an event that particular night. Due to the earlier akuma attack, Plagg had not wanted to go out as he was too tired from the day's exertion, so he was enjoying said perfect dream right now with utter contentment.

Plagg was floating on a vast lake of warm, melted, Camembert, his gooey goddess all around him. Sporadically placed in the never-ending lake were the surface ripened parts of his favorite food that served as small islands complete with deck chairs, umbrellas, all his favorite drinks in hollowed out miniature coconuts, and a selection of things to dip into the melted cheese all around him so that he could occasionally relax on a land mass within his dream.

However, at this very moment Plagg was lying in a boat made out of the finest sourdough bread that was fresh and fluffy, the way Marinette's parents made it just to his liking. Every now and then Plagg would rip a piece off and dip it into the warm cheese to enjoy the delicious dream cheese, the piece of bread being instantly replaced after it was removed.

Yes, it truly was heaven in dream form, Plagg mused, and he had seen the Fields of Elysium, the Halls of Valhalla and several other so-called paradises that the various afterlives offered and none of them compared to his current self-created paradise. It had been the best bet the little kwami had won in centuries and Plagg was going to forever be grateful to Morpheus for losing that hand of cards. Of course, Plagg's bliss was ruined at that very moment by the very dream god who had been forced to give him this wonderful gift.

"Plagg, get your ass up." Morpheus's voice called waking Plagg from the dream doze and food coma he was pleasantly enjoying. "I have been asked to ensure that you wake your ass up. There is an old acquaintance of yours that wishes to talk to you. He is outside your window waiting for you right now."

Plagg's eyes shot open at that. An old acquaintance was waiting for him outside was never a good line to say to the kwami of destruction. Plagg had a list that was literally a mile long of beings he had met over the course of his long life that he owed some debt or another too and when that being came to collect, it was never a good thing. Plagg proceeded to roll over, lose his balance and fall into the lake of warm melted cheese as he sourdough boat flipped over. Grumbling, he flew out of the lake and willed the cheese away to look over at the dream god who had disturbed his wonderful, cheesy dream.

The God of Dreams looked as he always did when in his Greek form, though he was currently the same size as Plagg's own small 4 inches. Morpheus wore a long black coat that even in the dream did not cast a shadow and shimmered as if it was a mirage and annoying Plagg as it always did. While his face was fuzzy, Plagg could make out the cold blue eyes and long gray hair of the minor Greek god. Morpheus did not look impressed with having to deal with Plagg, then again Plagg had not been a gracious winner the other week in that card game but in his defense he had been so ecstatic to win the epic prize.

"I am enjoying my dream that you allowed me to have access too." Plagg said with a hint of haughtiness as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You can tell my old acquaintance to go away and bother me when I am next awake."

"I am only currently present in your dream, not Paris." Morpheus retorted with annoyance. "Trust me I don't want to be in whatever this wet dream or unhealthy obsession you have with cheese is any more than you want me here."

"Aristaeus' creation in the greatest gift the gods have ever given mankind." Plagg said, he hated it when people failed to express the proper respect for his cheese. "I will honor and cherish it at every opportunity."

"I know." Morpheus said with a heavy sigh. "You have published 5 epic poems, each longer that the last and all longer than Herodotus' histories, 575 haikus, 3 Greek comedies, 9 Greek tragedies which are all complete trilogies, 4 Roman comedies, 2 Shakespearean style plays, a modern style play, a musical complete with 15 songs, a screenplay with a potential franchise attached, and most disturbing of all an entire satyr play all about cheese. I would say that that is an unhealthy obsession."

"I am merely glorifying cheese for all eternity through my artistic expression." Plagg said with pride at his work. "And you forgot the Netflix show I am developing about Camembert."

"Great more crap for Netflix to make." Morpheus said shaking his head at Plagg. "Anyway, back to the issue at hand. I was personally asked to wake you by the Guardian of Bones himself and let me tell you, he wasn't thrilled either. Turns out fate is fucking with all of us again cos she just loves to be a bitch and someone from your past has just shown up out of the blue in Paris. Due to his bound ties as a localized spirit, he cannot manifest his presence in multiple locations so must be returned to his own culture and lands as soon as possible but apparently you, as you always seem to manage to accomplish, have a few old debts to settle with him. So wake your lazy ass up and deal with this shit so I don't get my door kicked in in the underworld by a pissed off Guardian of Bones demanding a favor from me when I am trying to relax."

"Fracture is involved?" Plagg asked a little worried, Guardians rarely got involved in mundane shit like this unless it was important. "That doesn't sound good. And as for my ability to get in debt with basically everyone, well it is a gift you could say."

"Don't worry, the reason Fracture is involved because the visitor sought him out as the most likely divine being here due to the Catacombs under Paris." Morpheus said. "Otherwise I doubt he would even be bothered to get involved with this matter. Now wake your ass up, it's not every day a Guardian asks a minor god for a favor and this is one I intend to collect someday."

"Fine I will deal with this annoyance." Plagg sighed as he ran through the mental list of beings he owed various debts to, it was way too long to remember all of them. "Same time next week for a game at Mimir's Paris Parlor."

"Probably." Morpheus said with a smile. "I need to win back what I was forced to grant you."

"In your dreams sandman." Plagg said laughing at the annoyed look on Morpheus's face as he closed his eyes and exited the Dreamscape before the dream god could reply.

Despite being in the Dreamscape, Plagg was still tired and bleary eyed when he did open his eyes as he had only been in the dream for a few hours. Grumbling, he floated off Adrien's pillow and looking over to the window. That was why when Plagg saw that outside on the windowsill was a grinning raccoon standing on its hind legs waving its right paw at him, Plagg was certain that he was somehow still dreaming.

There was absolutely no way in all the various underworlds that Azeban, the Abenaki Indians of North America's spiritual deity of trickery, could possibly be standing on his windowsill in the richest neighborhood in Paris, France. Plagg could not even fathom how on earth the damned raccoon had ended up here to begin with and the low-level spirit was not even in the top 1000 former acquaintances that Plagg owed a debt to that Plagg had expected to see. Plagg had seen a lot of weird, inexplicable, shit in his long life but this ranked right up there with the most unexplainable shit he had ever seen.

However, when Plagg rubbed his bleary eyes the raccoon was still there grinning at him and Plagg had to come to terms with the fact that the slippery, benevolent, cunning, trickster was for some unknown reason in Paris and not the backwoods of Massachusetts where Plagg had last seen the damned thing. Fazing through the window Plagg knew that he would have to deal with this as best he could.

"Before you say a word, go to the roof." Plagg grumbled pointing upwards with his paw. "We can talk up there Azeban. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"Will do Plagg." Azeban said with a wink. "And you have a few debts to repay."

Plagg just nodded at this as Azeban scurried up the side of the building and to the roof. No normal raccoon should have been able to do that but of course Azeban was a god not a creature so the laws of physics didn't really apply to him at times. Plagg just floated up slowly behind the trickster trying to figure out precisely what bets he had made with Azeban that he had to repay.

Plagg recalled that he hadn't spent that much time with the raccoon, only a few meetings during some of the more clandestine missions he and Paul had engaged in during the Revolution when they were deep in the backwoods of the Northeast. That being said, Plagg had gotten along with the mischievous spirit from the moment the pair had accidentally run into each other when Azeban was trying to steal food from their camp.

Azeban was unlike most trickster deities in that he was at heart a decent, light god who just did harmless tricks for fun and in the hopes of obtaining food or other things that he wanted. As a local spirit, and a low-level one at that, Plagg knew that Azeban could not split his consciousness the way the more powerful gods and goddesses could, or at least he couldn't do so if he was outside of his primary territory in North America. It had been that fun, mischievous nature that had drawn Plagg to the spirit in a place where the main gods at the time weren't and other than the Guardians who for some reason had already relocated to America, the only immortal beings were the local indigenous spirits.

"Well Plagg, here we are again." Azeban said breaking Plagg out of his thoughts and making the kwami realize that he had arrived at the roof. "Though I bet you weren't expecting to find me in Paris now were you. Must be one of the last places you ever expected to see my hansom mug again."

"Not in a million years did I expect to see your ugly bandit face around these parts." Plagg answered with a smile that showed his pointed canines as he hovered in front of Azeban's eyes, the spirit having decided to take a seat on the roof. "Though you must have been surprised when the Guardian of Bones told you I was here."

"Yup." Azeban said with a nod and ignoring the insult in a way only the trickster gods could. "I was just trying to find some a being to talk to and figure out a way home. I was not expecting fate to lead me to you, last I heard you were heading back to China, what have you been up too since then."

"Literally nothing." Plagg admitted. "I was dormant until 2 years ago after my time in America. Too much internal stuff at home to activate me and Tikki. Ultimately the Order that protected us was destroyed, two miraculouses were lost and only one of the guardians survived. He fled to Paris many years ago, but it wasn't until a miraculous was used for evil, coincidentally in his own backyard, that he activated Tikki and me. It was one of the 2 lost miraculouses that has been corrupted by evil."

"Yeah I got the lowdown a little from Fracture just before I came to see you." Azeban said. "How is Tikki by the way? I always liked her."

"Everyone likes sugar cubes, she is the kwami of creation and as a result has a great personality that makes everyone like her." Plagg said with a wry smile. "But she's fine. Her human, a girl called Marinette, is in love with my human while he is in love with her superhero form, Ladybug. Because of this weird love square they have no idea they are in love because well they don't want to share their identities with the other. Trust me it is as frustratingly annoying as it sounds."

"Sounds amusing." Azeban said rubbing his paws together and if Plagg had been paying any attention he would have notice a gleam in the raccoon's eye that signaled that he was about to get up to no good. "I do enjoy a bit of drama, it is perfect fodder for my tricks."

"More like frustrating but there's shit I can do about it." Plagg said with a shrug. "You know, cosmic laws of secrecy and what not. Anyway, how did you end up here? You're a long way from North America."

"True, I am, but fate has for once smiled on me." Azeban said with a smile that sent a shiver down Plagg's spine. "Seeing as she seems to have sent me here, where you are, to collect the debt that you owe me as well as sending me to a country that speaks a language I can understand. Unlike you, my magic does not give me a gift of tongues. I am bound by the languages of my people, what they know I know and as French is one of the 3 official languages of the Abenaki, I can understand and speak it."

"Of course." Plagg said only just realizing that they had been speaking French and not English like the last time they had met. "There are lands of the Abenaki that are in French Canada, which explains why we are speaking French right now. So, tell me, why you sought out the Guardian of Bones and what do you want from me Azeban?"

Azeban just smirked and told Plagg the whole story. Plagg listened as he heard of how Azeban had tried to trick a local tribal chief near Quebec, how he had inadvertently fallen asleep in an exhibit at the Abenaki museum there and ended up all the way out here, how he had sought out the most likely Guardian in a city as large as Paris, that being the Guardian of Bones who would have some presence here due to the high number of bones under a city, how he and Fracture had chatted over a nice dinner, his discovery of the magic that permeated all of Paris and that Plagg was present in the city, the trip to the Agreste mansion and how he had two weeks to get his payment from Plagg before he was sent home by the Guardian of Bones.

"And how exactly are you going to get what I owe you." Plagg said with a smirk, hoping against hope that Azeban would not bother collecting the debt. "As I recall I owe you money and food from various losses in card games or other stupid bets from over 200 years ago. I don't have money here while my main food is Camembert and that is definitely not for sharing with anyone. My gooeyness is reserved only for me."

"I figured as much, you were always protective of your favorite food back when I last knew you." Azeban said. "Though I agree, cheese is much better than flower cakes and skunk jerky."

"Still better than beaver, possum or bear jerky." Plagg pointed out, deliberately not adding anything about the raccoon jerky he had eaten. "But not as good as moose jerky."

"That is true." Azeban said with a nod. "Though nowadays I prefer buffalo or gator jerky. Regardless, I am not after either your money or your food. No, I have a fortnight to come up with a payment and let's just say that I am going to be taking my payment from you in the form of a trick that I shall play on you. You have two weeks to prepare yourself, though as it is me that trick could come at any time before my deadline once I figure out what that trick will be. I'll see you around my friend, bring me food if you can and I may lessen the trick and enjoy the paranoia that I know you are already feeling Plagg. You will hear from me soon."

With that Azeban hopped up and scurried away disappearing over the wall with a flash of his ringed tail. Plagg just stared at the disappearing raccoon for a minute, dumbfounded by the fact that of all the beings he owed debts too, Azeban was the one who had decided to show up and collect.

"Fuck you, your tricky ass raccoon." Plagg growled after Azeban once he regained his wits but it was to no avail.

Plagg remembered Azeban's style from when they had interacted all those years ago. The raccoon was smart, cunning in a way that Trixx could only dream of and which was why Plagg never wanted the Fox Kwami to meet Azeban as that would be a nightmare, and craftier than any being Plagg had had the fortune or misfortune to meet.

Plagg would certainly be paranoid wondering what the raccoon had in store for him. He knew that it wouldn't be mean or harmful as that was not in Azeban's nature, but it would be annoying, unexpected and have far reaching consequences that Plagg wouldn't be able to see until well after the trick was played on him.

Plagg knew he could try to bribe and pay off the debt with his Camembert but there was no way he was going to give up his gooeyness to the little trickster. No, he was going to spend the next few days, up to the deadline that Fracture had imposed, in a constant state of vigilance as he waited for the trick to be sprung on him when he least expected it.

Azeban would wait a few days at least, Plagg knew that much, as the trickster prepared and studied Plagg in hopes of finding the best angle to attack Plagg. Then, when Plagg was least expecting it, the trick would occur and he would have to deal with it and no doubt the howling raccoon as Azeban laughed his ring tailed ass off at the trick.

Yes, the next few weeks would keep Plagg on constant guard waiting for the inevitable to come. After 5,000 plus years of life, Plagg knew one thing. Never fight a trickster god because you will always loose.

With those worries on his mind Plagg returned to his bed on Adrien's pillow. He hoped that a return to the Dreamscape and his peaceful paradise on Lake Camembert would ease his mind. Somehow Plagg doubted even his precious cheese would help him at this moment but gods knew that Plagg was going to try.

* * *

Azeban tucked into another well prepared and well balanced meal, a grin on his face. He had been in Paris for 8 days now and finally he had figured out the best kind of trick to play on Plagg. Admittedly the destructive little kwami had given him the idea when they had spoken on the roof of the Agreste Mansion, but Azeban had needed the last few days to confirm it the truth of Plagg's words.

In the time since his arrival, Azeban had been living in a guest room in Fracture's ossuary, the Bone Guardian preferred that title to calling the underground structure a palace as it wasn't as grand as the Guardian's true palace in the underworld and it was literally an ossuary. Azeban had only seen the Guardian once since their meal together and that was a brief appearance after his meeting with Plagg to tell the raccoon that Fracture had set up a place for him to stay in his ossuary while Azeban conducted his business in Paris. Azeban wasn't too thrilled about living in an old burial chamber filled with millions, if not billions, of bones but it was comfy with all the modern amenities, and the servants listened to his food requests, so he couldn't complain too much even if he couldn't communicate with the clacking skeletons. Besides, it was a place to relax when he wasn't shadowing Plagg all over Paris.

Azeban had spent as much time as possible following Plagg and his human Adrien around the foreign city, learning what he could of the pair. In addition, he had checked out the Marinette girl in order to confirm that she was in love with Adrien as Plagg had claimed. Even without knowing her name, Azeban would have been able to tell that she wielded the Ladybug Miraculous as the pure magic of creation radiated off her just as the pure magic of destruction radiated off Adrien.

It had been easy to tell that the girl was madly in love with Adrien and that he was absolutely clueless about said love for him. Conversely Adrien was clearly in love with Ladybug and Marinette had no idea about that because she did not know that Adrien was Cat Noir.

It was this frustrating love square as Plagg had called it that Azeban had decided to target as he agreed with his destructive friend that it was a very frustrating thing to deal with. The trickster had limited knowledge of miraculous lore, but he knew enough to know that Plagg and Tikki couldn't reveal the identity of the other holder without facing some form of cosmic punishment as payment for breaking the rules of secrecy. However, there was nothing to say that a little trickery on Azeban's part could force the humans to reveal themselves to each all it technically wasn't against the rules, just bending them slightly given Plagg's knowledge of an impending trick.

Besides, it would be great for the pair as they clearly needed to learn the truth so as to move forward as a couple. Plus it would be hilarious for Plagg to have to explain how it was all his fault and precisely why it was all his fault. Honestly, Azeban was surprised that the humans hadn't figured out that the mythical world existed yet, but he wasn't going to question that as the world always worked in mysterious ways. After Azeban was done though, they would know.

Now that Azeban knew what the end goal of the trick was, an import aspect in the planning of all of his tricks. This trick's end goal was to force the humans to reveal themselves and ultimately their feelings for one another to each other as that was the kindest thing Azeban could think of doing for them. The main issue was how to achieve that goal and the main problem was how to execute the trick to ensure that that goal was accomplished.

Fortunately, Fracture had provided Azeban with an internet connection and instructions on how to access a blog called The Ladyblog that told of the miraculous tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Through that and other online resources, Azeban was able to learn that Plagg and Tikki's humans were seen as masked heroes of Paris who protected it from Hawk Moth's evil akumas. It was certainly different from how Paul and Molly had used the miraculouses when Azeban had last encountered the kwamis, but it made sense given who they were up against. In today's superhero loving world, having two superheroes defending the city was a good thing, even if it was painfully obvious to Azeban who the two heroes were under their masks.

Azeban theorized that the mist or something similar was preventing all of Paris from realizing that Marinette and Adrien were Ladybug and Cat Noir as from the images he had seen of the costumed heroes, it was pretty obvious who they were. It was annoying but the raccoon could understand the need for a magical protection of the identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir and given that he knew that Mage's mother was Hecate, the power of the mist obscuring the pairs' identities might just be incidental.

Azeban had been wondering about the heroes and what exactly they did during an akuma attack as he hadn't seen them in action until the day before when finally there was another akuma attack. Azeban had watched and followed the attack from the shadows and the attack gave him the perfect idea for his trick, providing another attack happened in the next 6 days.

Azeban was going to wait and follow the attack. Then afterwards when the pair fled to transform, he was going to use his mischievous abilities as a trickster god to ensure that the pair ended up in the same place when they transformed back into civilian form. Of course, they wouldn't realize that until it was too late and by that point Azeban would have locked them in and made his escape, Plagg's debt to him repaid and a chance for the two French teens to talk in private about everything.

Azeban didn't think that this would be too hard to accomplish. Apparently the attacks were a regular occurrence in Paris to the point that most of the Parisians didn't seem to faze by them, a trait Azeban normally associated with people from New York City who seemed perfectly at ease with weird shit going on around them, or an anthropomorphic raccoon engaging one of them in a chat in Central Park. All he had to do was wait for the attack to occur.

However, here was just one more aspect that Azeban would have to factor in for his trick to work as well as he had envisioned. He needed the attack to occur indoors. If it was inside it would limit the places that the pair could hide when they transformed as they would have to use an abandoned room to do so. This would increase his own chances of tricking Plagg's human, and by extension Plagg himself, into revealing himself in front of his love without realizing he had done so until it was too late. Of course, in order to accomplish this Azeban was going to have to directly act to set the ball in motion to ensure the trick's desired outcome, something he had done plenty of times before when the need had been called for.

Azeban had been thinking for hours about how he would create the circumstances that would set his trick into motion when he had realized something on the Ladyblog. The blog's creator had listed the person behind each akuma attack and overwhelmingly two names kept coming up. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chloe Bourgeois, the latter holding the record for most akumas caused by a large margin. Azeban was curious as to why Ladybug herself had been responsible for 10 akumas, either as Marinette or Ladybug and occasionally indirectly or with others, but he decided it was best to leave that mystery unsolved for now.

That was why Azeban was now smiling. Chloe was a petty, jealous, vindictive bitch if his observations of her were correct and as such she would be perfect. All Azeban had to do was ambush her in her father's hotel, possibly even talk to her, and use her to trigger an akuma attack in said hotel. If he couldn't find her than Azeban was sure a walking, talking, raccoon would freak the fuck out of someone enough to trigger the negative emotions Hawk Moth needed to create an akuma and as such bring Ladybug and Cat Noir to the hotel.

With that final peace of the trick in place, Azeban yawned and got into the comfy bed that the ossuary had provided him, even if the frame and bedposts were made out of polished bones. His plan was set, the trick was confirmed.

Tomorrow, after their school had gotten out, Azeban was going to set his plan into motion after he scouted the hotel while his targets were in school. Then when the akuma was defeated he was going to spring the trick and at last claim his payment from Plagg.

With those pleasant thoughts of a little fun mischief, Azeban fell asleep knowing that soon he would be repaid and then returned back to where he belonged while helping out two clueless teens realize their love for each other in the City of Love. Yes, tomorrow was going to be fun.

* * *

Plagg was floating around with Adrien in his room after school. His human was supposed to have piano practice but instead was playing video games while his mp3 player played a piano tune to fool his bodyguard. Plagg couldn't focus on that, or anything for that matter, as he nervously flew around the room and stress ate cheese wheel after cheese wheel.

It had been 9 days since Azeban had shown up out of the blue and nothing had happened. That scared Plagg. The trickster god had 2 weeks to figure out a trick against Plagg that would be severe and funny enough to cover his probably large debt to the raccoon and so far, there were 5 days left. 14 days was more than enough time for Azeban to come up with a plat that had a 100% success rate and right now Plagg knew that the crafty bastard had a plan in motion, it was just a matter of time before Plagg walked into the inevitable trick.

Plagg was so preoccupied that he almost missed the sudden akuma alert come from Adrien's phone. The app designed by the Paris Police Department and was supposed to alert the citizens of Paris when an akuma attack had started with a description of the event, its location and a plea to Ladybug and Cat Noir for help.

"Warning! There is an akuma attack in progress at the Grand Paris Hotel. Detail are hazy, but reports indicate that the akuma might have been triggered by fear of a wild animal loose within the building. Ladybug and Cat Noir, your city needs you. Defend us."

"Merde." Plagg swore dropping his cheese.

There was no doubt in his mind that that akuma attack had been triggered by Azeban. The trick was upon him and Plagg was going to be transformed and utterly defenseless when the trick was sprung. Somehow the kwami knew that this had been part of the raccoon's plan all along, target him while Adrien was transformed as he couldn't warn Adrien of the danger as Adrien wouldn't believe him, nor could Plagg defend himself against the trick as he had no control when bonded to Adrien.

"You heard him." Adrien said pausing the game and jumping to his feet and smiling at the thought of a battle. Plagg was just worried and knew that soon he would learn what Azeban had in store for him. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Adrien, noooo…" Plagg began but it was too late as the ancient magic of the miraculous sucked him into the ring in seconds, a process no kwami could fight. Plagg's last thought as he transformed Adrien in Cat Noir was that when the transformation fell, the trick would have occurred.

* * *

Adrien heard the second beep come from his ring and knew that he had to find a storage room to change in and fast. Cursing the time out function of the miraculous, Adrien burst through a staircase door in the upper levels of the hotel where he was and began to run downstairs. Adrien hoped that he would be able to find a room to change in soon.

The akuma attack at the hotel had been a routine one, one of their easiest opponents in fact. Apparently, the victim had been freaked out by a talking, anthropomorphic, raccoon of all things that had then proceeded to try and engage her in small talk while flirting with her in the kitchen in apparently Canadian French though there was no security camera evidence of this occurring. Adrien was hesitant to believe the talking part but raccoons were known to occasionally show up and the sight of one could easily cause a negative enough emotion that would allow Hawk Moth to create an akuma. Whatever the reason, the resulting shock and fear had allowed the cook present at the time to be akumatized into some sort of verminator akuma hell-bent on killing all pests in the hotel.

It had certainly been one of the odder akumas to strike Paris since Adrien and Ladybug had started defending the city but an easily contained one within hotel. Ladybug had used her Lucky Charm before he had used his cataclysm and as such had had to go and transform before him. Now though, Adrien was desperately trying to find a place to transform.

That was when he saw a sign for a storage room on the floor below. Had the situation not been so dire, Adrien would have questioned why there was a sign pointing to a storage room on the floor below in the middle of the stairs, but right now he didn't care. Adrien yanked the door to the main hotel corridor open and ran along it, following a series of conveniently placed signs that lead him to a storage room with no one near it.

Pulling the door open after making sure that the coast was clear and not wondering why the room's light was still on, Adrien closed it and faced the door just in time for his transformation to time out and Plagg to be forcefully expelled from the ring and right into a bottle on a shelf behind him. Adrien breathed a sigh of relief that he had managed to find a place to hide just in time. That sigh turned into a gasp of horror when a voice behind him said.

"A-Adrien?"

* * *

After defeating the akuma Marinette had run down a few flights of stairs until she found a deserted corridor. Once there she ran into an open storage room for cleaning supplies for the hotel maids that was in the middle of the corridor and let her transformation fall.

The fight had been easy one that Marinette didn't expect to remember as being anything special when compared to other akuma attacks, just a standard akuma that Hawk Moth created because the opportunity allowed for it. Now all she had to do was just lie low for a few minutes and then sneak out and quietly go back home before her parents realized that she was missing from her room. Unfortunately that plan was ruined when the door suddenly burst inwards causing Marinette to take a step backwards and a black clad figure came rushing in and slammed the door shut, facing the door without looking at her.

Marinette only had enough time to register that it was Cat Noir who had come in when she heard his ring time out and his transformation fell. She barely noticed the black blur shoot out of the ring and crash into a bottle of bleach on the nearest shelf. She was just starring wide eyed and open mouthed at who was now standing in front of her.

Adrien Agreste, the boy she loved more than anything in the world, had just appeared in front of here. Adrien was Cat Noir! All Marinette could do was stammer out a single word.

"A-Adrien?"

* * *

Adrien's eyes went wide at the sound of his name. Ever so slowly he turned to see who was behind him in the small room. Whoever the person was, she had just learned his deepest secret.

Standing there, her bluebell eyes wide in shock and fear, her mouth open was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Equally shocked with a matching expression and hovering above her was a red kwami with three black spots on its head and face. The shock had prevented the kwami from hiding so Adrien was quickly able to put two and two together. Adrien assumed that the kwami, who had known his identity since the Dark Owl fight, was more shocked by his sudden arrival than anything else.

"Ladybug?"

Marinette just nodded in confirmation, there was no point in denying it as Adrien knew there was no point in denying who he was. He was looking at the civilian face Ladybug, Marinette was the girl he was in love with and Adrien had been near her for so long without ever suspecting her. Now though he could clear see the similarities between her and Ladybug, similarities he was amazed that he had missed.

Adrien had no idea how this had happened. He was too shocked that he didn't even hear the sound of the door being locked behind him, or a low animalistic chuckle, as he and Marinette continued to stare wide eyed at each other. The moment was ruined when Plagg swore loudly from under the cleaning supplies he had been throw into by the forced de-transformation and floated over to talk to Adrien.

"Well that was close, good thing this closet was here." Plagg said before noticing Adrien's shocked expression and turning and realizing that they were facing Marinette and her kwami. "Oh, fuck."

"Plagg." The other kwami said in a feminine voice with a note of sternness to it. "Why do I get the feeling that you know why we are both in here and why our humans have suddenly discovered who the other miraculous holder is."

"Er, yes Tikki, I have a very good idea as to why we are all here." Plagg said as he turned to look at Adrien, a forlorn look in his catlike eyes. "Adrien, why did you come here? There weren't perchance any signs or notes directing you here that you followed without question due to the situation?"

"Now that you mention it there were signs that directed me right to this storage room." Adrien said snapping out of his stupor at Plagg's question. Marinette seemed to have recovered slightly but still looked shocked at everything that had suddenly just happened. "I wasn't really wondering why they were there, I was a little too focused on finding a good place to hide while I transformed."

"Fuck." Plagg swore again.

"Spit it out Plagg." Tikki said now with a reproachful tone. "What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do jack shit this time." Plagg said defensively raising his paws in the air in surrender. "But, I may have run into an old friend from the War of Independence last week, one who I happened to be in debt too."

"Who?" Tikki asked narrowing her eyes at Plagg as Adrien and Marinette looked confused at what was going on.

"Do you remember Azeban by any chance?"

"WHAT!" Tikki exclaimed in anger causing the other three to jump slightly at her surprising outburst but the little kwami wasn't done yet. "Azeban, as in that trickster spirit of the Abenaki. You were in debt to that mischievous raccoon. Wait, what is he doing in Paris? Isn't supposed to be bound to the North American Northeast?"

"That is a long story and it somehow involves the Guardian of Bones and Morpheus interrupting a glorious cheese dream I was having." Plagg said completely losing both Adrien and Marinette in the process but Tikki seemed to understand what was going on. "But suffice it to say that yes I owed that raccoon a debt, well several debts if I'm being honest, and he appears to have collected it by tricking Adrien into revealing himself to his love and in the process revealing Marinette as Ladybug to him thus showing her that her love is in love with her. As annoying as Azeban is, he isn't a malevolent trickster, most of his tricks involve him trying to get food or helping people out in a funny and slightly embarrassing way. So you see it all worked out in the end and we can finally end this gods damned love square between you two."

"Er, I think I speak for myself and Marinette in saying that I have no idea what is going on." Adrien said though the mention of Marinette liking him had gotten his heart pumping a little faster.

Did his lady like him back? It was too much to hope for at the moment and there were much more pressing questions that needed to be answered first.

"I agree with Adrien." Marinette said looking as confused as Adrien felt. "What is going on?"

"Make yourself comfortable kids." Tikki said kindly before glaring daggers at Plagg. "Thanks to Plagg's history of dumb and destructive behavior, which is unavoidable due to his nature, we are in this situation. We have a lot to tell you about the world that extends beyond the kwamis and their miraculouses and you will both need to keep an open mind and trust that what we are about to tell you is the gods honest truth. It is time that you learned about the mythical world. We can deal with the other revelations of identities and feelings between you two later as this is a little more important. For now, sit back and listen while Plagg and I open your eyes to a world few mortals still believe exists."

* * *

Azeban stood atop the Eiffel Tower that night in the pouring rain. It was in the early hours of the morning and the raccoon was soaked through, his fur matted by the rain but not even the torrential rain could dampen his spirits. He had succeeded in springing his trap, forcing the revelations he had wanted to force and getting his long overdue payment from Plagg. It had been a fun, clever, little trick and one he would remember for years to come.

In front of him and equally unaffected by the rain was Fracture. The Guardian of Bones had been waiting for him at the top of the Eiffel Tower and was once again in his standard outfit, complete with hooded cloak that masked his face in shadows.

As soon as Azeban had succeeded in his trick on Plagg he had told the skeletal manservant in the ossuary that he was done with his business in Paris and the manservant had relayed that news to Fracture. Fracture had then sent a message, via the manservant, to Azeban to tell him to meet him here at this time.

"You smell like a wet dog." Fracture told him after a few moments of calm quiet atop the tower. "It ain't pleasant."

"Yeah well if you had fur then you would smell when it rained at well." Azeban grumbled back. "Besides, you live in an ossuary, dry bones is not a great scent in my books."

"I'll grant you that." Fracture said with a nod and a small smile. "The underworld is not a place for a creature of nature."

"Tell me about it." Azeban said. "I will be staying above ground for the foreseeable future."

"Have you satisfied your debt with Plagg?" Fracture asked ending the small talk and getting straight to the point. "And the other conditions you had to abide by?"

"All done and satisfied as promised." Azeban said with a smile. "It has all been sorted to perfection. There may be some fallouts but that is beyond my control as you know. I honored my part, anything that happens as a consequence of my actions and decisions is out of my control."

"Yes, I do." Fracture said with a sigh. "Damn divine technicalities and tricksters figuring out how to bend but not break the rules, not that I'm complaining as I do enjoy to bend the rules from time to time. I am sure that Mage will update me on any developments your actions have caused when they happen."

"Oh they are already happening." Azeban said with a smile. "Enjoy it."

"I'm not the one who has to really deal with it." Fracture said with a smile of his own. "Mage is the Guardian of Magic, this shit fall within his jurisdiction. I'm just the dude underground talking to reanimated skulls."

"Can I ask, why the rain?" Azeban asked as the downpour got worse and deciding to move the conversation away from reanimated skulls.

"Fuck if I know." Fracture said with a shrug still not bothered by the fact that he was soaked through. "I am an underworld Guardian, I don't particularly care about the various weather gods and how they interact with the Guardians of Thunder, Water and Air. That is their purview, not mine. Besides, it's just a little rain. Now, are you prepared to go home?"

"I am but I don't know how that will happen." Azeban admitted as he spat out a gob of water over the side of the tower to emphasize that it wasn't just a little rain.

"I spoke with a relative about setting up a reliable pathway for your fury ass." Fracture said and Azeban could see the devious grin even in the shadows of the Guardian's hood that made the Guardian of Bone's face look like a grinning skull. Another sight from this trip to France that Azeban would not soon forget. "My half-sister was more than willing to set it up for. Don't worry, it will get you there quickly and in one piece, I think."

"Half-sister?" Azeban asked before he remembered the strange family tree of the underworld Guardians and his eyes widened at who Fracture was most likely referring to. "You, you don't mean…"

"Nox has been more than willing to set up a shadow pathway for you." Fracture said as his grin widened. "The Guardian of Darkness does control the shadow travel highways after all. I spoke with her after you showed up and she agreed to set up the link from here, in the shadow of the antenna, to some place in the tribal lands near Quebec. Course it has to be at night when she is at her most powerful, hence why we are here at this moment. I could have taken you as I inherited the ability to shadow travel from my father but Nox can make a path without a problem and it is much safer and more reliable than me taking you via shadow travel."

"Er, is there any other way?" Azeban asked. "Possible the Guardian of Light could use his light speed travel abilities to send me home in the morning, that would be much easier."

"Nah, this is more fun for me." Fracture said with a smile. The Guardian suddenly moved faster than the trickster could follow and suddenly had him by the scruff of his neck and was holding the small raccoon clean of the ground. "And there are no other ways that will be as fast and accurate as this way that doesn't involve me bothering the primordial Guardian of Light and the chief deputy to the Master Guardian. I'll see you soon, safe travels Azeban."

With that Fracture threw the shocked trickster into a very dark, unnatural, shadow at the base of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower. Azeban gave a shriek surprise as he entered the darkness and began to travel through the shadows of the world back to his home.

Still, despite the annoying end to his fateful trip to Paris, Azeban couldn't help but smile as he traveled along the shadow highway. Fate had seen to it that he would end up here to collect an old debt and in the end, he had been true to his nature by causing a great trick. That had allowed Azeban to be repaid by an old friend and help out a pair of young lovers too clueless to see what was right in front of their eyes the whole time.

All in all, it had been a good trip but as the light at the end of the shadow tunnel began to grow, Azeban was ready to go home. Azeban hoped that it would all work out for Marinette and Adrien, and he knew that someday he would see Plagg again and hear the full story of the aftermath of his harmless little trick. Now though, it was time to return to his own people and culture. The little trickster had had enough of miraculous holders and their kwamis to last him for another 240 years.

 **Damn that was a long oneshot, I honestly doubt even the penultimate oneshot will match this in length despite it being projected to be 15-17k words. This oneshot had to be long as there was a lot to cover and a lot to set up, plus it has been one of the most fun ones I have written so far. This has been the second longest single chapter I have ever written across all of my stories though it is still about 4,000 words shy of the record. The next 4 prompts, including a promised bonus prompt that will be released the day after the 23rd prompt for reasons that will be made clear when they are released, should add up to this one in length as all are simple, straightforward, standard reveals and not mammoth epics. I like the variety in length that y'all allow me to have with your great suggestions, without which I could not write any of this. If y'all liked the involvement of gods and my Guardians then let me know and I will try to include them more in later oneshots, as of right now only one other Guardian (and not one of the handful seen in my Guardians fanfic) is currently set to make an appearance and that will be at the end of the 29th prompt in this series and will be the first time an non kwami deities interact with the main characters. Also to note for those who either have or end up reading 'Percy Jackson and the Guardians of the Elements' (not my best work overall if I must admit and is in need of an epilogue) then note that unless otherwise state or implied due to the prompt (as is the case with 'Accent') assume that the events of that oneshot have already occurred and are cannon in relation to 'Miraculous Revelations' and any other possible future Miraculous fanfics. Anyway this is already way too much rambling for the post note but long oneshot normally equals a long post note recap and clarification. As always keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews, especially your favourite oneshots so far so I know which ones worked well and which didn't, and keep suggesting prompts that I will try my very best to make them when their time comes up. As of right now the queue is currently at 12 prompts with confirmed slots and 4 self-generated ones that will either be used as bonus oneshots or be delayed until weeks when there is no suggested oneshot for that week or the reveal has occurred on the show and this series is in its wrapping up stage. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	21. Paranoia

**Here is the 21st oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested a few weeks ago by Whovianeverlark17, who has also suggested 'Cold' and 'Injury' in this series. I should note that the core of this oneshot is pretty much the same as the oneshot 'Baker's Mania' in theinkwell33's series 'Behind the Masks' though it does have my own twist to it. I did have to check 'Baker's Mania' for help as this wasn't an easy chapter write and 'Behind the Masks' was the series that inspired me to try my hand a reveal oneshot collection so I hope that this has gone well. On another note, I will be returning to Friday night updates, the original update day of the week, now that I have a more manageable schedule. This will be the date for the next few weeks at least and because I have the rough drafts written for the next two oneshots in this series plus the promised bonus oneshot that will be released in a few weeks. Anyway, enough admin crap, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Paranoia.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Paranoia** **\- After Alya publishes a full list of all Parisians who had been akumatized, Marinette realizes that she is the only girl in her class who has not been akumatized. In a state of paranoia and not thinking straight, Marinette ignores Tikki's advice and decides to fake an akuma attack with her as the akumatized villain. The results are not what Marinette had hoped for and could have consequences that not even she would see coming.  
**

* * *

 **Paranoia**

"Marinette stop worrying about it." Tikki said trying to calm Marinette who was in the middle of a major worry fit. "No one suspects a thing."

"I know they do though Tikki." Marinette said as she paced her room. "The evidence is clearly there, anyone with half a brain will be able to put two and two together and realize the truth that is starring them in the face."

"Marinette your secret is safe." Tikki said with a frustrated sigh. "No one suspects that you are Ladybug, and no one will make the leaps that you have in your mind. You are just overthinking this. Marinette, you are letting your emotions get the better of you again and allowing them to remove logic from your brain. I admit, Alya's blog post didn't help but just take a breath and think about it logically for a second."

"I have thought about logically and I know that I am right." Marinette wailed as she flopped down on her chaise. "Alya pointed it out, without mentioning me at least, that all the girls in our class have been akumatized. Only my name is missing, and our class is disproportionate to the rest of all of Paris when it comes to getting akumatized. How could people who know my class not figure out that the reason why I haven't been akumatized is because I am Ladybug."

"Well the disproportionate representation of your class is to do with Chloe being in your class and her very long record of creating akumas." Tikki pointed out but common sense had all but left Marinette at this point, though the kwami was still trying in vain to force it back into Marinette. "And as for the list, Alya also listed all the guys in your class that have been akumatized, as well as everyone else in Paris who has been a victim of Hawk Moth. That's all the list is, you need to stop worrying, you're letting your paranoia take over. It's getting the better of you and clouding your judgment, don't let your fears, worries and paranoia make a bad decision for you."

"How can I help it Tikki?" Marinette said with a little too much dramatics to her voice. "It's clear that there is some connection between my class, the akumas and Ladybug. All it takes is someone like Alya with all her investigative skills to put it all together and someone will know my secret."

"But Marinette didn't you read the list." Tikki said with a hint of desperation. "Adrien wasn't on it either, but all the other guys in your class were. By your logic that would make him Cat Noir would it not."

"Adrien is too perfect and too used to disappointment from his father to ever be akumatized." Marinette said as with the usual tone she only reserved for talking about Adrien. "There is no way he could ever get akumatized. Besides, he is so much better and cuter than Cat Noir so there's no chance that they are one and the same."

Marinette wasn't looking but Tikki was staring open mouthed at her in shock. Tikki had come very close to violating the rules of secrecy surrounding the Miraculous Holders in her statement and Marinette had just brushed it aside if it was nothing. Clearly Marinette's worries, her paranoia at being uncovered by her classmates and her love for Adrien had completely blinded her. There was no way to talk the girl out of it. Tikki was going to have to deal with whatever Marinette's eventual plan to sort this out was.

"I have it!" Marinette exclaimed suddenly sitting up and causing Tikki to jump slightly.

"Have what Marinette?" Tikki asked and Marinette did not pick up the concern in her kwami's voice.

"The perfect way to throw suspicion off me." Marinette said and the relief in her voice was evident. Marinette needed this to set her mind at ease after what she had just read. "I am going to create a fake akuma attack with me as the victim and then I will attack the school where everyone is. That will show them that I am not Ladybug. All I have to do is defeat myself as Ladybug where I can't be seen, and I am golden. This will put me in the clear once and for all."

"Marinette that is positively and by far the worst idea you have ever come up with." Tikki said bluntly as she floated to hover in front of Marinette's face. "And trust me I have known the Black Cat Kwami to come up with some equally dumbass ideas that have always backfired on him. I implore you Marinette, as my friend listen to me and don't do this. It could lead to disaster for you. Asinine plans like this always comeback to bite you in ways you could not have thought about. Do not tempt Fate, Marinette, because she will win."

"It's fine Tikki." Marinette said clearly not listening to her kwami as she jumped up and went over to her sowing machine. "I have the perfect akuma to create and a good reason to be akumatized, so long as I can get Chloe to provoke me tomorrow morning. Then I will run away faking rage and sadness at Chloe and change into the costume I am making. Don't worry, this will go off without a hiccup."

"What about Cat Noir?" Tikki asked trying again to get Marinette to see reason, not that Marinette could see reason at the moment. "What happens when he comes to fight you. Without the suit and the enhanced abilities, I give you when we are bonded you are no match for him. Only another Miraculous Holder or an akuma can go toe to toe with you or Cat Noir. If you see him, you might be forced to fight and that is a fight you will lose, badly. Who knows what injuries you might sustain if you decided to take on a superhero with no powers of your own."

"Again, there is no need to worry about that Tikki." Marinette said as she began to look through her fabric collection for what she had in mind. "Cat Noir doesn't go to school with me, the odds of that are astronomical, and as such he won't get there in time. I'll just say when I defeat myself that Ladybug wanted it over with and left before Cat Noir could arrive. Don't worry your little head Tikki. By this time tomorrow no one will suspect that I am Ladybug, and all will be good."

"I see that there is no way that I am going to talk you out of this is there?" Tikki asked with resignation.

"Nope." Marinette said happily as she found the right dark purple fabric she needed. "Now come help me while I create my akuma."

"Fine." Tikki said with a defeated sigh as she hovered over to Marinette's work area to see what Marinette needed. "But I warned you. This will not go down as well as you think it will. One of the many things I have learned in my long years of life is to never challenge Fate cos she does not like it. There will be consequences Marinette, you had better be prepared for them."

Marinette had just begun measuring out the fabric and wasn't listening to her kwami. She was so happy that she had finally figured out a way to throw off the suspicion she knew that her friends had about her and her secret identity as Ladybug that she wasn't paying attention to anything else. In Marinette's mind this plan was foolproof, there would be no negative consequences for her actions. This was going to work, Marinette knew it.

* * *

"Please Marinette, you are a terrible designer." Chloe said with a scoff as Marinette was showing off her designs to Alya before class.

"How would you know Chloe, you have no style." Marinette retorted. She had been expecting this kind of outburst from Chloe, but she had to play along for a little bit to ensure that Chloe did something worthy of akumatizing her. Chloe's history of creating akumas was perfect for giving Marinette a plausible reason to be akumatized and as it was Chloe's fault no one would doubt that Marinette had been akumatized.

"My style is the inspiration for all of Paris." Chloe said as she stuck her usual stuck up pose. "Yours on the other hand is so bad it should be illegal. I might even ask daddy if I can make that happen."

"Just cos you can't see fashion, doesn't mean I am bad." Marinette said with a waving off gesture. "Besides I will get Adrien's opinion, I would consider him a better judge of fashion than you."

"Oh Marinette, just cos you are in love with him doesn't mean he would ever praise your style." Chloe said with a pout at Marinette. "Or even model it for you."

Marinette stared open mouthed at Chloe's statement. It was just the hurtful thing that she had been waiting for and if she hadn't have mentally prepared herself for a full-blown Chloe attack she might have actually been akumatized out of anger at Chloe's words because they had hurt. Chloe knew Marinette's weaknesses and fears and the girl had just exploited them. Marinette might actual attack the spoiled brat if she ran into Chloe alone while being a fake akuma, just to teach the bitch a lesson.

Still Marinette was prepared for this and acted her part. She got up, grabbed her design book, and roughly pushed passed Chloe as she ran out of the classroom, making sure that both Chloe and Alya had seen her angry and hurt face. Just as she left Marinette heard Alya say.

"God damn it, you've done it again Chloe, give it 5 minutes and we will have another akuma to deal with."

* * *

Marinette smiled as she changed into her created akuma costume in the girl's bathroom. Her plan had worked perfectly. Now she just had to put it in motion and make sure the whole school knew there was an akuma lose here, that would invoke the akuma evacuation protocol.

"Marinette, I beg you please don't do this." Tikki said as she flew up and into Marinette's face in the bathroom. "This will not end the way you think it will."

"Tikki, now who is sounding paranoid." Marinette said with a smile at her kwami. "Don't fret, nothing bad will happen."

"One last time Marinette, please don't do this." Tikki implored, pleading in her little eyes.

"The plan is in motion; the scene is set." Marinette said with a smile at her kwami as she put on the stylized mask she had created for the costume. "It is time to end any suspicion that anyone has that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug. It is time for the attack of Fashionette."

* * *

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked Alya as he sat down and noticed that his friend wasn't present. "I know she misses class from time to time but it's still unlike her to not be here."

"Ask Chloe." Alya said with anger as she glared at the blond girl who was filing her nails at her desk and ignoring everyone around here and pouting as she worked on her appearance. "She insulted Marinette's designs and fashion style and Marinette ran off. She was upset from the look of it."

"Why?" Adrien asked. "Marinette's designs are amazing, she has some serious talent, even dad has said so though he doesn't remember her name just the pigeon feather hat I modeled a while back. Though in future Marinette should avoid pigeon feathers as I am allergic to them."

"Cos it's Chloe and she hates Marinette." Alya said with venom. "So, the best way to get to Marinette is to insult her style and bring you into it. Mark my words, Marinette will be akumatized soon enough."

"Great, I have to go." Adrien said giving his oldest friend an exasperated look at her latest stunt, sometimes Chloe could be so mean and that almost always lead to an akuma attack. It was as if Hawk Moth watched her just for the ready supply of victims. "If you see Marinette before I do, tell her that I in no way agree with Chloe and love her fashion designs."

"Will do." Alya said with a nod. "Marinette would appreciate that. Wait! Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." Adrien said as he ran out of the classroom and to the locker room and the boys' bathroom.

There was no doubt in Adrien's mind that Marinette was going to be akumatized. She was passionate about fashion and Chloe had attacked it in a really mean way. Adrien had fought enough akumas and seen enough akumatized people that he knew what would set one off, especially when Chloe Bourgeois was involved. He was going to hide out in the bathroom and wait for the akuma attack that he knew was coming. Then Adrien was going to change and deal with Marinette quickly before Ladybug arrived so that it could be a quick and easy akuma take down.

About a minute later the attack happened. There was a crackling sound over the PA system followed by a high-pitched, feminine, laughing sound. Adrien groaned as he got ready for the attack, at least he would beat Ladybug to this akuma.

"Students of Francoise Dupont High School, I am Fashionette." The female voice came that sounded a lot like Marinette with the usual hint of akumatized evil to it. "For too long have my designs been belittled by all, especially Chloe Bourgeois. Now I will get my revenge on all of you by ensuring that I ruin your fashion forever. It is time for your alterations!"

"You heard her Plagg." Adrien said as he opened his jacket and Plagg flew out holding a piece of Camembert, an affronted look on his face at being disturbed while eating.

"Why do these akumas always attack during a snack break." Plagg said with a huff as he wolfed down the piece of cheese whole. "They never have any consideration for us kwamis and our stomachs."

"Well you will just have to wait until we are done for more food." Adrien said as he punch his fist out and spoke his transformation command. "Plagg, claws out!"

In seconds Adrien had transformed into Cat Noir. It was time to fight another akuma. As soon as he was transformed Adrien's enhanced hearing could hear a loud series of bangs throughout the school that indicated some form of akuma ability being used.

As soon as the bangs went off there were a few screams but for the most part the school had become so used to being the target for akuma attacks that they had developed an evacuation protocol for them. The students were well drilled and knew how to evacuate in a calm, efficient and orderly fashion. It was a quick process due to all the practice the school got these just needed to wait as the students made their way out of the school.

Soon his hearing detected that the school was empty, it was time to find Marinette. Adrien had no doubt that it was his friend who had been akumatized between the story he had heard about her and Chloe's interaction, the purpose of this latest akuma and her name. It didn't take long for Adrien to find Marinette as she was walking down a corridor looking in empty classrooms apparently for Chloe.

Adrien had to admit, it was one of the more impressive akuma outfits he had seen. Marinette was decked out in a form fitting black and purple outfit that hugged her body the way his own costume hugged his and oddly brought up an image of Ladybug for some reason. The design on the chest was a moth's outline, the indicative signature of Hawk Moth. Her lips were black and on her face was a midnight purple mask that appeared to be a spread out set of wings, a similar style of mask that many akumas had had.

On her waist was a low-slung belt that contained a sowing bag and a large pair of scissors that Marinette was brandishing in her right hand, snipping them repetitively with menacing intent. Adrien realized that the goal was to cut up people's clothes to alter their fashions to ruin them as she had promised and that the scissors likely contained the power granted to her by Hawk Moth. Well he wasn't going to let that happen, he was going to hold her until Ladybug arrived and then they could destroy the akuma and end this attack. Adrien theorized that the akuma must either be in the scissors or her bag as both had ties to fashion.

"Chloe, where are you?" Marinette cooed in a falsely sweet voice laced with malice, a standard sound from Chloe caused akumas, while punctuating her words with snips of the scissors. "I am going to correct your fashion, so people know that you have none. Come on out, it's time to make a few alterations."

"Now that's not very nice." Adrien said with a smirk as he nonchalantly leaned against a wall. "There's no need to get your panties in a twist my dear."

"Cat Noir!" Marinette said with shock in her voice as her eyes going wide with fear at his presence, a sight that was not normal for an akumatized person. Usually they just looked hatefully at him when they first met. "You're here already?"

"Where else would I be?" Adrien said with a grin. "I am a fashionable cat so as soon as I heard that there was a threat to my style I came to play with a little yarn. Now why don't you stop looking for Chloe and face me while we wait for my partner, I am sure that you want my miraculous anyway."

"Oh, I will get your ring and the bug's earrings." Marinette said as she narrowed her eyes at him in typical akuma fashion. "I am Fashionette, the greatest of all akumas. First though, Chloe needs a few alterations to her ghastly clothes don't you think?"

"Unfortunately, as much as I would like to see that, I can't let you do that." Adrien said shaking his head slowly and standing up from the wall. "Now I know there is no talking reason to an akuma so let's dance, Fashionette. By the time I am done with you, you will be needing a few patch jobs."

"Never!" Marinette yelled. "Give me your miraculous!"

Adrien just smirk as he and Marinette ran at each other. It was always fun fighting an akuma though Adrien decided that it would be best to keep out of range of those scissors as they likely had unexpected consequences and a few hidden surprises in them given the slight glow on them. It was time to defeat yet another akuma.

Adrien easily dodged Marinette's clumsy stab with the scissors that felt slow for an akuma and using his staff he slapped her in the forearm. The force of the blow was designed to stun her arm and cause Marinette to drop the scissors and for some reason it worked. Usually akumas were tougher and wouldn't drop a weapon that easily. Marinette gasped in pain and threw a punch at Adrien. Adrien easily back flipped out of the way of the weak attempt. Landing with his feet on the wall of the corridor, Adrien used him momentum to push off the wall and tackle Marinette from a downward angle.

The force of the tackle caused the pair to bounce off the floor and threw a classroom door on the opposite side of the corridor. As soon as they were through it Adrien used the momentum to throw Marinette off him and into the desks on the room, the strength of his augmented suit added to the power. Marinette crashed into the desks and through some of them before slamming into the far wall hard enough to crack it before falling to the ground. She was an akuma, so Adrien was sure that Marinette was ok, he had seen akumas take much worse. That was why he was shocked to hear her groan in pain and grunt out in her normal voice.

"Fuck me that hurt."

* * *

Marinette's plan had begun perfectly. She had changed and gone to the principal's office, pleased to see that Damocles was out so she didn't have to fight with the wannabe hero. Marinette had then used the PA system to broadcast her message to the whole school to force the evacuation of it.

After that Marinette had left the office and using her phone she caused several bangs to show she meant business and to ensure that the evacuation was taken seriously. Making sure that the kids could see her as they were leaving the school she stood overlooking the courtyard before she began to scream for Chloe before she made a show of looking for the brat. The looking part was just a ruse so that she could find some conveniently deserted classroom to fake her own defeat at the hands of Ladybug.

The plan had been going as she had anticipated until Cat Noir appeared in the middle of the corridor just as she was about to reach a classroom Marinette expected to be empty and ruined everything. She had not expected him here so soon and it had shocked her. Still she had recovered and engaged him in banter, trying not to groan at his annoying puns. Unfortunately, she knew that with him here he would fight her, so she was going to have to fight. For the first time she actually remembered Tikki's warning and realized that her kwami was right, this was going to shit and fast.

Still there was nothing she could do but engage Cat Noir as that is what akumas were supposed to do whenever one ran into her and/or Cat Noir. That was when the plan had gone from bad to worse. She had fought akumas and knew that they were as enhanced as she and Cat Noir where when in costume and the chances of a regular civilian fighting against a trained hero and winning were nonexistent. Still she had been force to try because of her own decision to fake an akuma attack. Marinette had failed spectacularly.

First, he had disarmed her and caused her entire right arm to go numb from her elbow to her wrist which caused her to drop the scissors. Then he had skillfully dodged her pathetic punch attempt, tackled her into the ground with enough force to bounce painfully off it and through a door and into the classroom she had planned to use to defeat herself. That alone had been painful enough, though fortunately it had been Cat and not her who had hit the door first, but then Cat Noir had used the momentum of the attack to throw her through the desks, in some cases literally, and into the far wall hard enough to crack it and drive the breath from her lungs. Marinette was reasonably sure that nothing was broken but she was going to have several cuts and bruises and possibly a cracked rib or two from this. It would take ages for the injuries to heal and she would have no valid explanation for them.

"Fuck me that hurt." Marinette groaned in her normal voice as soon as she recovered enough breath to speak.

There was no way to deny it anymore, her plan had gone to shit and magnificently backfired in her face, just as Tikki had said it would. At least it couldn't get any worse than this.

* * *

Adrien stared shocked at Marinette as she slowly sat up and groaned in pain. The suit she wore was torn in several places, though at least it still kept her modesty, and he could see multiple cuts on her body from the brief fight that were bleeding though none looked too series. That sight alone made no sense.

Akumas were as hardy as he and Ladybug were and were rarely injured, the same for him or Ladybug. Adrien occasionally got a few bruises or cuts, but they usually went when Ladybug set everything right at the end of the battle. The ones that didn't were never that bad, so Adrien could usually ignored them.

However, after fighting around 40 akumas, he had honestly lost count at this point, Adrien knew that their suits were grafted to their skin the same way his and Ladybug's were. Though Adrien suspected that the suits were more a part of the akumas than his and Ladybug's were part of them. That and he had never never seen an akuma bleed, no matter how much damage they took. Therefore, there was only on conclusion to the situation in front of him; Marinette had faked being an akuma.

That revelation led to a whole new question for Adrien: why would Marinette fake an akuma attack? She had faked it convincingly as it wasn't until he had defeated her that Adrien had seen through the deception. She had known what the akumas wanted, what they looked like and how to act like one. Still why would she do that?

Suddenly it all clicked in Adrien's mind. There was only one reason why Marinette, the only girl in his class who had not been akumatized, would fake it, she was hiding something that had to do with the akumas. Alya had recently published a comprehensive list of akumatized villains as a way to normalize the experiences that akumas went through as puppets of Hawk Moth.

Marinette, as Alya's best friend, had almost certainly seen that list and probably panicked when she realized that she wasn't on it and almost everyone else they knew had been. The only reason for someone to panic was that they had something to hide and thought that that secret was being threatened. When it came to akumas there was only one secret that Marinette might have that Adrien thought would have been serious enough for her to go to the lengths of faking an akuma attack. Marinette was Ladybug!

That was the only logical explanation Adrien could come up with as he looked guiltily at his injured friend, injuries he had caused. She must have gotten paranoid from the list and decided that faking an akuma attack would throw any suspicion off her, but the thing is, no one had suspected her. Adrien had always thought that Marinette had never been akumatized because she was such an optimistic person and had been calmed down the only time an akuma had been sent her way which should have been enough to dissuade any suspicions people had as she had almost been akumatized. Ironically her actions in trying to throw off suspicion had led Adrien to concluding that she was Ladybug. Of course, that meant that Marinette was the girl he loved, and Adrien was going to do everything he could right now to help her right now.

Marinette still seemed dazed, Adrien was amazed she wasn't more injured, but he guessed her clumsiness had given her some natural resilience after so many falls or maybe their miraculouses offered them some protection, he didn't know. Adrien needed to talk to her but first he needed to make sure that they were alone.

Picking up the warped door, Adrien was pleased to see that instead of breaking it they had simply blown it off its hinges. Adrien placed it back into the door frame and then piled a few desks up behind it to give them some privacy. Once that was done he turned back to Marinette who was looking a little better as she stared at him, pain and shame in her dazed eyes.

"Why Marinette?" Adrien asked kindly. "Why did you fake the akuma attack?"

* * *

"Why Marinette?" Cat Noir asked her kindly. "Why did you fake the akuma attack?"

"I, I felt like people would suspect something that isn't true." Marinette groaned out, she had definitely bruised her rips as it hurt a little to talk or breath. She reached up and painfully pulled the mask she had used, which had shifted in the fight and now covered part of her right eye, off. "I thought people would wrongly assume that I was Ladybug cos I wasn't listen by Alya and I didn't want that attention. So, so I faked the attack and was going to ask Ladybug for help when she arrived to defeat me."

"Marinette, don't bullshit me." Cat Noir said bluntly but not unkindly causing Marinette to wince and not just in pain. "I know the truth. Thanks to your little stunt I know that you are Ladybug."

"I'm not her." Marinette said quickly, too quickly and she had known it.

"M'lady, I know the truth." Cat Noir said gently. "I know that Ladybug would already be here if she wasn't you. The only reason you would have gone to this extent, including the dumb decision you made in trying to fight me, would be because you were afraid that your secret was going to come out. However, no one suspected you and if I recall correctly you were almost akumatized yourself a while back but were saved by Ms. Bustier."

"You can't prove that I am Ladybug." Marinette replied knowing that she was right.

Cat Noir's evidence was at best circumstantial though he had just made a good point, she had almost been akumatized. She should have thought of that before but her paranoia at being found out had gotten the better of her. Perhaps because of that no one had suspected her to begin with and she had been a fool to think otherwise.

"You're right I can't." Cat Noir said with a nod as he took began to walk towards her and drawing her fuzzy attention back to him. "But I know I am right and I can show you who I am as a sign of trust between us. That way you will also know the truth."

"No don't…" Marinette began but it was too late.

"Plagg, claws in."

* * *

Adrien knew that Marinette was lying to him. She tried to talk her way out of it, but Adrien wasn't buying it. That was why he had decided to transform back to his civilian form. That way he could show her that he trusted her with his secret and hopefully she would admit her own secret as well. It was a risk but it was one he was happy to take to prove his theory.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said as he walked towards Marinette.

* * *

Marinette just gaped at Cat Noir as he spoke his transformation phrase. Then her jaw dropped as the transformation fell and standing there was Adrien Agreste, along with a small black kwami that was looking very bored at the scene in front of it. The love of her life, Adrien, was Cat Noir. Not only did it mean that she had actually talked normally to him, but she knew that Cat Noir liked Ladybug so that hopefully meant that Adrien would like her as well. She realized that there was no point in hiding her secret anymore. Her foolproof plan had backfired in the worst way imaginable, Adrien had learned her secret, how many others would figure it out if they learned she had faked the attack as it would be obvious that she was hiding something.

"A-Adrien, y-you are C-Cat Noir?" Marinette asked as Adrien approached and took a seat against the wall next to her.

"I am." Adrien said as he put an arm around her to comfort her. It was something that Marinette had been wanting for a long time and she leaned against him, burying her head into his chest, both of them ignoring the blood and tears she was now getting on his jacket. "And you are Ladybug."

"I am." Marinette admitted as the silent tears began to flow. Adrien hadn't asked her a question, but she still had to confess and confirm his suspicions.

"I'm sorry for what happened." Adrien said with remorse in his voice. "Your costume was so convincing that I thought you were really an akuma. It is amazing work, no matter what Chloe says, you have some serious talent in fashion design."

"Thank you." Marinette said with a smile as a tear traced down her cheek, the tears had slowed fortunately. "And don't blame yourself for what happened Adrien. It wasn't your fault it was mine, the pain I am in was caused by my own foolishness. When I saw that list that Alya had published I got paranoid and feared the worst, I even forgot that I had almost been akumatized myself. I thought that by faking it I could throw off suspicion and be ok but as you saw, that failed miserably. I should have listened to Tikki."

"Damn right you should have Marinette." Tikki said as her kwami flew up and confronted her, her tiny arms folded across her chest and a scowl directed at Marinette on her little face. Tikki had been in her sowing bag during the attack but must have phased out and hidden when Cat Noir and she began to fight. "I told you so did I not. I told you something bad would happen and that your stupid plan would backfire, but did you listen? No, you didn't. You let your paranoia get the better of you and did something unbelievably stupid. Now look at yourself; you are hurt after being forced to fight Cat Noir without any powers of your own and Adrien learned your secret while having to reveal his own to you just to get you to admit it. This could not have gone worse. Only Plagg could have been this stupid but he has an excuse because he is naturally destructive due to him being the Kwami of Destruction so it is expected from him."

"Hey! I resent that sugar cubes." Plagg, Adrien's kwami Marinette realized, said with an indignant huff. "Not all of my plans have been this stupid or worse, only about 53% of them)

"Not now stinky socks, I am chastising my human's stupidity, not yours." Tikki said turning and glaring at the other kwami. "You and I both know that the amount of stupid, destructive and downright asinine shit that you have done in your 5,000 years of existence could fill a whole book. This is not about you for once however, which while surprising is at least good as usually when you are involved anything less than an entire building being destroyed is considered a success."

"Er, Tikki, right?" Adrien asked causing the kwami to turn to him and soften her expression. "I know Marinette wasn't thinking straight with this plan as no one suspected her but surely there is still a way to salvage this so that only I know the truth. I am more than willing to help her out with this ruse as we do need to protect her identity. I do think that there might be a way to help this and heal my lady."

"There might be." Tikki said as Marinette's heart soared at Adrien's words. She knew that he liked her and that she could finally admit her feeling for him but now was not the right time as they had to clean up the colossal mess she had created for them. "If Marinette was to transform, use Lucky Charm and then Miraculous Ladybug right after it should clear this up as the destruction was caused by a Miraculous Holder, heal her though she will still be very sore and may even have a few faint scars from the deeper cuts to remind her of her stupidity, and add an air of authenticity to this event as people will see the creation bugs doing their usual job. The only problem is her clothes are in the locker room."

"I might be able to help with that." Adrien said seeming to catch onto the plan Tikki was coming up with. Marinette was lost but that might be due to a possible head injury from the fight.

"I can use Cataclysm to open a hole in the wall that you and Marinette can slip through and head to the locker room." Adrien continued snapping Marinette back to the conversation. "I will be right behind you but give you two time to get there before me. Then once you are secure in the bathroom get Marinette's clothes and execute your plan. After that I will say that Ladybug and I defeated Fashionette in the bathroom to anyone who has comeback at the sight of those restoring ladybugs Marinette's Lucky Charm creates when she finishes using it that it create. However, I will tell them that bugaboo here was sick and fled right away as she needs to get better. I will only staying long enough to help with the ruse as my miraculous will time out shortly after I use Cataclysm. After I leave, Marinette can come out and confirm everything. The school should still be in lock down and as such it will be easy to get there."

"Yes, that might actually work." Tikki said with a nod. "Though I think Marinette should change here first as I can heal some of her self inflicted injuries when we transform, though not all of them."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Marinette asked.

"No." Tikki said sternly. "You have screwed this up enough. Now you will listen while Adrien and I sort this out. Plagg, you too keep your mouth shut, your suggestions in the past have led to more disasters than successes. Right now we need finesse and misdirection, not a sinkhole in the middle of the school or whatever destructive idea you have in mind."

"Noted." Plagg said and Marinette knew that no one was going to mess with a pissed of Tikki seeing as her kwami rarely got annoyed at anything, though Marinette admitted that she had gone too far this time and deserved the scolding her kwami had given her.

"Good, now let's change." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Tikki, spots on." Marinette said, and she felt the rush of the transformation into Ladybug.

The power of the suit made her feel a little better but not by much so either Tikki was unable to heal her more or was deliberately not to teach Marinette a lesson. Marinette had a gut feeling that it was the latter and if so it was a good lesson as it taught Marinette to always listen to Tikki's advice in future.

"Cataclysm." Adrien yelled as soon as they were standing and then placed his glowing right hand against the far wall causing a large portion of it to disintegrate. Then he rose his voice so that if there were anyone hiding to watch the fight they would hear his next words. "Come on m'lady, Fashionette has run into the locker room, we have her cornered now."

"Lead the way, kitty." Marinette said as they ran through the hole, Marinette ignoring the pain the movement caused her.

Despite the pain, Marinette smiled as they ran. Perhaps they would pull this off after all and the only problems would be that Adrien knew who she was and vice versa and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Yes, despite her plan's incredible stupidity, it seemed to have worked out fine in the end and no one else was suspicious of her secret identity. It could even lead to a relationship with Adrien which was one of the things she wanted most in life. Overall, despite the failures, it looked like nothing had gone terribly wrong.

* * *

The circular window of the observatory at the Agreste Mansion opened and a kaleidoscope of white butterflies took to the air as Hawk Moth looked out of his window, a smile gracing his face. He had sensed the negative emotions of Marinette Dupain-Cheng earlier and would have sent an akuma at her, but the emotions faded too soon for him to even imbue his power into one of his butterflies. However, he had heard of the subsequent akuma attack at the school that appeared to have Marinette as the akumatized villain, a villain Hawk Moth knew that he had not created.

"Well, it looks like Ladybug and Cat Noir have saved the day from an akuma once again." Hawk Moth said to the air around him as his grin widened. "And yet it was all a ruse, there was no akuma today at my son's school. Though it appears that I will have to keep a much closer eye on you Marinette Dupain-Cheng … or should I call you by your other name, Ladybug."

 **I couldn't resist an ominous ending like this for y'all to ponder. This also marks the first time Hawk Moth has ever appeared in this series, though as I seldom create akumas I have had no need to show Hawk Moth until now (to date only one has been created as I needed Lethe for 'Memory' but another is coming in the 25th oneshot). Next week's oneshot will almost certainly be the shortest ever, and I do not expect the next 3 to combine to reach more than 15k words, which seeing as 15k is a liberal estimate for the length of the 25th oneshot means that there a few nice and short oneshots before the next epic is released. There's not much more to mention here other than keep giving me great suggestions (12 prompts in the queue at the moment) and I will keep trying to write great and unique oneshots for y'all. As always keep the suggestions coming and keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	22. Snacks

**Here is the 22nd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This prompt was suggested by the same loyal follower and fan who has suggested numerous other great and unique oneshots in this series such as 'Trickster', 'Dreams', 'History', 'Messenger', 'Recording', and several others past, present and future. This is going to be a short and sweet oneshot, same with the next 2, and will be the shortest one to date breaking the record held by 'Deductions'. This is also being released several hours early because I am traveling at the moment and will likely be unable to upload it at the usual time so best to be early rather than late. Anyway, enough admin crap, enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Snacks.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Snacks** **\- After a routine patrol, Ladybug and Cat Noir take a few minutes to relax atop a building and talk with each other. As they talk the conversation turns to their kwamis and the foods that their respective kwamis prefer. An innocuous topic, right? What could possibly go wrong when one talks about the snacks they enjoy?  
**

* * *

 **Snacks**

The sun was waning on the horizon as Ladybug and Cat Noir sat on a rooftop somewhere in Paris. The teen superheroes and protectors of Paris had just finished a patrol to make sure that there was nothing going on in their city, which as usual there wasn't anything that needed their involvement. Now they were sitting back and relaxing atop a roof for a few minutes before they had to return to their respective civilian lives.

In the past Marinette would have gone straight home after a patrol, as she would be forced to do after an akuma attack caused her miraculous to time out, but over the last few months she and Cat Noir had used these moments to relax and chat with one another. Marinette trusted her masked companion more than almost anyone in the world, though not enough to tell him who she was under her mask, and while she knew that he liked her romantically, a feeling she did not reciprocate, she still enjoyed these brief moments they shared together when they weren't fighting whatever strange akuma Hawk Moth had created this time.

Normally they would just chat about nothing in particular during these brief rest bits. Marinette kept any info on her civilian life separate from Cat Noir and he did likewise. That still didn't mean that they couldn't talk about things in vague terms. It also meant that they could talk about things that only they would know, such as kwamis.

"Cat Noir, I've been meaning to ask." Marinette said breaking the comfortable silence the pair were sharing. "What kind of food does your kwami enjoy?"

"Camembert." Cat Noir replied instantly, and Marinette could feel the confused glance that he was giving her. "Why?"

"I was just thinking the other day." Marinette began slowly as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. "And I realized that there may be another situation like the one that Dark Owl put us in where we would force us to trust one another to not look and transform back, and it might be a good idea if we both carried what the other's kwami's favorite snack is just in case. That way we both have the food on hand and can help the other's kwami out just in case. I don't know about your kwami, but mine is very particular about the food she eats."

"That's a good idea m'lady." Cat Noir said after a pause. "And trust me, mine will only touch something that isn't Camembert if there is literally no Camembert and even then it has to be a cheese unless it is an emergency. What is your kwami's favorite snack?"

"Cookies." Marinette said with a small smile. "Fresh chocolate chip with a hint of extra sugar to be precise. She will eat any baked goods just as yours will eat any cheese when her favorite isn't available, except apparently oatmeal raisin cookies. According to her, they are not cookies but an insult and a way to trick innocent kwamis into eating oatmeal and raisins."

"Well they are an insult to cookies and baked goods in general." Cat Noir said, and Marinette glanced at him to see the warm smile he had. She couldn't argue with him, as a bakery's daughter she knew that true cookies were supposed to be sweet snacks, not those hard and unappealing biscuits the British seemed to like or anything with oatmeal and fruit in them. "Cookies are supposed to be a treat, they should be tasty and not designed to trick people, or kwamis."

"I agree." Marinette said with a smile. "So, why does your kwami like Camembert?"

"Cos, he requested something delicate when I got the ring and the only thing he liked that I presented him with was Camembert." Cat Noir said with a shrug. "Which was just great given the stink the cheese has to it. Personally, I never liked it but was often served it growing up as it is seen as a sophisticated dish. I don't mind that he eats it, though it does reek and makes me smell a little of Camembert in my daily life. As I said, he will eat any cheese, but Camembert is his favorite just as your kwami prefers chocolate chip cookies."

Marinette paused for a moment to digest Cat Noir's words. Personally, she wasn't a big fan of Camembert except when it was served on bread or crackers or mixed into a dish her parents made. That being said, she had often smelled a faint scent of the distinctive cheese coming from Adrien when they were in class together. That wasn't because she went around smelling him when he wasn't looking, well not that often at least, but she always smelled a faint whiff of that cheese whenever she was able to get a good inhale of Adrien's natural scent. Marinette just pushed that to the back of her mind as a mere coincidence and nothing else while trying not to blush at the though of Adrien in all his glory.

"You're lucky your kwami likes something that smells as good as cookies." Cat Noir was saying, and Marinette stopped daydreaming about Adrien and returned her attention to her crime fighting partner. "They smell a lot nicer than Camembert, especially when they are hot out of the oven. If your kwami really likes cookies then I have the bakery in Paris that you should go to, they do the best pastries and cookies in the whole city."

"I will have you know that I already know the best bakery in Paris." Marinette said with a little heat in her voice, there was no place better than her parents' bakery and she would defend it to the end and with as much vehemence as possible. Whatever rival Cat Noir was referring to was inferior to her parents' place. "It's called Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie. There is nowhere better than it, I should know I am an excellent judge of baked goods in this city."

"That's exactly the bakery I was referring to." Cat Noir said with a laugh and Marinette looked at him to see a twinkle of amusement in his green cat like eyes and felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "They are the best in the whole city, and I should know I have been served baked goods from places much more expensive, much fanciers, and all claiming to be the greatest in all of France and yet none of them can compare to that place. It seems that great minds think alike m'lady."

Marinette turned her head away from Cat Noir could not see the blush of pride she had gotten as it replaced her blush of embarrassment at her earlier outburst. There was still a mixture of embarrassment in her blush as her sudden outburst could have given her away if she hadn't had been careful but the pride at the complement Cat Noir had paid her parents' business was easily removing any lingering embarrassment. Had she been looking she would have noticed the look of intrigue on Cat Noir's face at her sudden outburst and maybe even realized that he was having some suspicions about her as well given the vehemence she had defended her parents' bakery.

"They do everything there." Cat Noir was saying bringing her back to their conversation. "Soft croissants, fresh pain au chocolates with just the right balance of chocolate and pastry, bread that tastes like it just came out of the oven, the best macaroons in the city though those are always best when they are made by the baker's daughter Marinette, and some of the best salmon and spinach pie I have ever had. There must have been Camembert in that pie though as my kwami still hasn't let me live it down that I actually liked a dish with Camembert in it and didn't share it with him. However as I keep explaining to him, I couldn't as I was in civilian form at the time and with their daughter in a park, he couldn't come out and show himself to her as that would have given away my identity."

Marinette's eyes went wide at that statement and she had to keep her face hidden from Cat Noir so that he wouldn't see her shock. Had Cat Noir just divulged too much? Marinette replayed the words in her head and realized that Cat Noir hadn't been as vague as always by mentioning her civilian name thus giving her a point of reference for who he was as his civilian identity knew hers. Marinette chalked that little detail up to Cat Noir assuming that she didn't know herself in civilian form so it was a safe tidbit to reveal to her.

However, what he had mentioned had spoken volumes to Marinette as what he had said was something that only she and one other person would know the full details of. That pie was a specialty her parents made, the Camembert was a unique addition only her parents added. Usually another cheese like cheddar or cream cheese was used in the crust but her parents preferred the lightness of Camembert and the fact that it added a French touch to the traditionally Italian dish, one her dad had learned from her grandmother. It was something that her parents only served guests in their house and there was only one boy who had ever eaten it with her, a boy who had enjoyed it with her in a park, just the two of them. The boy she was madly in love with; Adrien Agreste.

Marinette's heart suddenly began beating at a mile a minute as she tried to comprehend the fact that the boy she loved with all her heart was Cat Noir. There was no doubt in her mind that Adrien was in deed Cat Noir. The story he had just told her was spot on, even saying that he was alone with Marinette, so it had to be him, there was no one else who Cat Noir could be after that story. It also explained the faint smell of Camembert Adrien always had on him if he was Cat Noir and Cat Noir's kwami's favorite snack was Camembert.

There was one additional thing to all this, Adrien liked her. Adrien was Cat Noir, Cat Noir liked Ladybug and Ladybug was Marinette. Ergo Adrien like her. The love of her life liked, if not loved, her back. She couldn't believe it. Now she had to give him a little info, so he could figure out who she was, after all now that she knew there was no reason for him to not know that would be cruel. Also it would allow her to confirm that he liked her as much as she liked him regardless of the mask.

"My parents make a pie like that." Marinette said feeling Cat Noir's confused eyes on her but keeping her gaze from his so that she could keep her composure. Marinette knew that one look from Adrien now that she knew he was Cat Noir would make her fragile composure crumble and leave her a stuttering, clumsy mess so she plowed on.

"They make it with Camembert rather than other more common cheeses to make the Italian dish more French, despite dad being half Italian and learning it from the Italian side of our family. We don't sell it in our bakery though as it technically isn't a pastry and it is hard to keep a pie like that fresh. They only make when they have guests over as it is a good dish and isn't the usual sweets we make in the bakery. As far as I know, no one else in Paris makes a salmon and spinach pie like that."

* * *

Adrien's mouth fell open at Ladybug's words. Their conversation up to this point had been pretty normal, sticking to vague or miraculous related things so as to protect their secrets. Sure, he had mentioned a little too much about Marinette's family's bakery than he should have but who wouldn't as it was the best, and at the time Adrien didn't think that Ladybug and Marinette knew each other. Besides, Ladybug had been very defensive about it which was odd and a little suspicious, but he brushed it off as her passionate sweet tooth getting the better of her given her kwami's preference for sweet baked goods.

Now though Adrien realized the truth. He admitted that he was a little slow when it came to human interactions and the subtly of females from the years in isolation he spent with his only contacts being his parents, Nathalie and Chloe, but even he could take a hint when it slapped him repetitively in the face.

Marinette was Ladybug! That was the only way she could have realized what he had said, plus her response was enough to confirm it to him. Now the defense of the bakery made sense to him. He had foolishly given away too much to her, but it was info only he and Marinette would have known and as a result he had accidentally told his secret to her. She in return had given him enough to inform him of her secret so that they both knew. It was one of the many things he loved about Ladybug, her sense of fairness and justice, and Adrien knew that he loved Marinette for he had always known that he would love the girl under the mask, no matter who she was.

"Marinette?"

* * *

"Hello Adrien." Marinette said as she finally looked into her crush's eyes, they held nothing but love for her in them and Marinette felt her heart swell. She knew that she could talk to him without a problem now. "I never thought that we would find out like this."

"Yeah me neither." Adrien said rubbing the back of his neck and blushing slightly, it was a very cute look on him. "I guess I told you too much."

"Only because of who I am would I have known." Marinette said kindly. "No one else would have figured it out other than me. Thank you, it was sweet what you said about my family's bakery."

"Well it was true." Adrien said with a dazzling smile that always made her melt. "It is the best in Paris."

"Oh defiantly." Marinette said smiling back at him. "Nowhere can compete with us."

"I, I, I would like to drop my transformation if that is ok with you." Adrien said shyly, and Marinette was amazed at seeing Adrien, the confident almost aloof model, acting like a schoolboy with a crush. A crush he clearly had on Marinette that could rival her own for him.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said in reply as she dropped her own transformation in front of Cat Noir for the first time.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said and a second later the boy she loved and who she now could see clearly as being Cat Noir, was looking at her.

"A-Adrien, I, I have asked." Marinette said averting her gaze from his beautiful green eyes as her insecurities came unbidden to the surface. "Do, do you still like me under the mask. I, I know that Cat Noir liked Ladybug but well I am not Ladybug, I am Marinette. I am clumsy and awkward where Ladybug is graceful and confident."

"Marinette look at me." Adrien said kindly as he took her hands in his and Marinette looked at Adrien, still seeing the love in his green eyes. "Master Fu would not have chosen you to be the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous had he not seen her in you. I fell in love with Ladybug the moment I met her, the real her on that bridge when we saw Hawk Moth's butterflies, but I always knew that the girl under the mask would also hold my love. She was the one chosen to be Ladybug which meant that whoever she was she must be the same as my lady. Marinette, now that I know that you are Ladybug I can't see anyone else being her but you. You are both so kind and caring and always put others above yourselves and strive for fairness and justice for all. That is why I love you Marinette."

Marinette had been looking into Adrien's eyes the entire time and that was enough for Marinette to believe every word Adrien had just spoken to her. Marinette knew that Adrien spoke the truth and at last she could confess her own feelings towards the boy.

"I love you too, Adrien, I have ever since you gave me your umbrella and apologized for the gum incident." Marinette said withe a blush and before Adrien could respond the pent-up emotions that Marinette had had for Adrien for over 2 years now burst out of her all in one go.

Despite their sitting position Marinette tackled a shocked Adrien to the ground. Then lying on his chest, she bent down and finally kissed him on the lips, well at least not the way she had during the Dark Cupid attack but that didn't count in her mind. She felt Adrien melt into the kiss, pouring his own love back into her, and Marinette lost herself in the bliss of the moment, all her surroundings forgotten as she finally shared the moment she had long dreamed about with the boy she loved with her whole heart.

* * *

"Aww, finally." Tikki said as she and Plagg looked down on their humans sharing a moment both had desired for over 2 years.

"Yeah great, that damn love square is over, finally." Plagg replied looking bored. "You know I don't like this mushy shit Tikki."

"Well stop ruining the moment for me." Tikki said as she slapped Plagg on the upside of the head causing him to squawk in annoyance. "I have been waiting for this for ages, so be quiet and enjoy it."

Plagg just huffed but wisely shut up as he and Tikki looked down on their humans finally sharing their feelings for one another. There were still many battles for them all to face but for the moment they would all enjoy this beautiful moment of peace as the sun set over Paris as the City of Love claimed another couple.

 **My first sub 4,000 word oneshot, a nice simple, short and sweet oneshot for y'all to enjoy, though don't expect many others to be this short. The next oneshot will be see the return of the release timing to being midnight EST rather than midnight GMT for the next few months of this story (except for one week in October that will be central time). Also, next week's oneshot will be followed by the promised bonus oneshot for my lateness in releasing 'History' (though there will be another bonus oneshot for my failure to release the bonus oneshot by today as promised though there is a good reason for that) and the bonus oneshot will be similar to next week's one, both have been drafted. Nothing else to mention here, just keep the prompts coming as it is because of those who suggest great prompts that allow me to write great oneshots (at least in my mind they are great), this story would be nothing without y'all. So keep your suggestions coming and keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	23. Birthday

**Here is the 23rd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I'm going to be busy over the usual upload period this week so I am releasing this one a few days early, the same for the bonus oneshot that will come 24 hours after this one. The reason for the bonus being right after this will be made clear when it is released. Anyway, this prompt was suggested by the same person as last week's one, someone who I credit for giving me many of my great prompts in this series and should take all the credit for allowing this collection to be so ranged, varied, and consistently updated as I keep getting new and interesting prompts to work on that truly challenge my skills. As with the last oneshot, this one (and the next) are going to be shorter, more straightforward (by my standards) oneshots in this series. Enough rambling, it's time to enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Birthday.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Birthday** **\- Adrien's birthday is coming up and after the Bubbler incident Adrien's father will not allow him to have a party. In an attempt to cheer up his human on his birthday, Plagg decides that for it he will get Adrien a very special present, he will arrange for Ladybug to give Cat Noir a gift for it though not on Adrien's actual birthday so as to preserve his secret. To Plagg this seems like a great idea for a present and one that will earn him plenty of cheese down the line, the problem is that he is the Kwami of Destruction and everything he touches tends to have unexpected consequences that he can't see. Will it happen yet again or will Plagg's plan not have potentially life altering consequences?**

* * *

 **Birthday**

Plagg was lying back in Adrien's bag, for once thinking about something that wasn't himself, his stomach, or one of his many destructive vices. Usually Plagg would be eating some cheese while waiting for Adrien to finish his fencing practice and wondering which ancient deity was hosting an event in Paris this week, but today the kwami couldn't concentrate. Adrien's birthday was coming up and he had no idea what to get his human, well other than that cheese sculpture of himself in a heroic pose that Plagg had been working on that is.

Plagg knew that Adrien didn't really enjoy his birthday that much. The kid always got the same gift of a pen from his father, except for last year but Plagg knew that that had actually come from Marinette and not his father's assistant. Also, he couldn't have a party because of the Bubbler incident and that really annoyed Plagg, he enjoyed a good party whenever possible.

That last part was an insult to Plagg. A birthday was often the best excuse to throw a party and Plagg knew how to throw a party. Over his many years he had made many friends who he could still call upon to help him should he need to throw down but alas he couldn't do that this year. It was something Plagg would have to keep in reserve until Adrien was out from under his thumb and they could really throw down.

No, this year Plagg wanted to do something special for his human to make his birthday a memorable one, something that Adrien deserved for all he did for Paris. That was when the idea hit him. Plagg would persuade Ladybug to get him a present, though she would have to give it Cat Noir and not Adrien. That way Plagg could claim credit for the idea and all the brownie points that came with it.

Plagg smiled to himself. The idea was perfect. He would approach Ladybug and arrange it. Hopefully, she would get Cat Noir something unique and special. It would mean a lot to Adrien because he was in love with her and show that she cared for him, even if Ladybug had no idea that she was in love with Cat Noir as well. Plagg would then tell Adrien that he had arranged the birthday surprise with Ladybug and show what a thoughtful kwami he was that he had gotten Adrien's love to get him something.

Of course, he would give Ladybug the wrong date so as to hide Adrien's secret, he did not want to risk violating the laws of secrecy, not after what had happened when he had fought with Cromwell's forces in the English Civil War. Plagg still shuddered remembering that punishment even after 400 years. Plagg would of course have to get Adrien to go along with it, but it was a present from Ladybug and Adrien had to maintain his secret so Plagg was confident his human would go along with it.

Now he just needed to find Ladybug, or more accurately he needed to find Marinette. Plagg knew that she wouldn't be too hard to find. Adrien was currently fencing in the courtyard downstairs. That meant that Marinette was spying on him from the upper balcony and sighing at him like the love-struck schoolgirl that she was, if only they knew each other's secret then they could be together but it wasn't Plagg's place to divulge it. Seeing as Tikki would almost certainly be with Marinette, Plagg assumed that it was safe to go up and talk with them.

With his plan set, Plagg rewarded himself with a large piece of gooey goddess and then phased out of the bag. He poked his head out of the locker and looked around to make sure that no one else was present in the locker room. The coast was clear so Plagg phased out of the locker completely and flew as fast as he could up to the top level of the school, all the while hugging the shadows that hid his black body.

Marinette was right where he was expecting her. She was leaning on the railing and looking down upon the fencing class from her birds eye perch on the balcony, her eyes clearly following Adrien's graceful movements despite his face being covered by a fencing mask. Tikki was hovering next to her looking bored as she munched a cookie and waited for her human to finish her spying on Adrien so that the could go home.

"Excuse me Marinette." Plagg said as soon as he was floating behind her and clearing his throat. "I need to talk to you, I have a favor to ask of you."

Whatever Plagg had been expecting, it was not what actually happened. Marinette jumped about a foot in the air, squealed, turned and while still in the air, punched Plagg in the face before crashing down to the floor in a heap and a clang on the metal balcony. Plagg didn't have time to react as he was thrown back and into the stone wall behind him. He impacted hard against it, spreadeagled, the breath driven from his lungs. Fortunately, this had all happened while there was a point being scored so none of the fencers in the courtyard heard anything and looked up at the commotion.

"Plagg? What in all the hells are you doing here?" Tikki's voice cut through the haze that was Plagg's mind as he blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear it. Marinette's punch had been pretty good, probably from all that akuma fighting. "Is Cat Noir ok, he's not down a well like what happen to Paul during the revolution is he? Tell me Plagg, is your human in some sort of trouble?"

"Tikki." Plagg grunted out still in the wall as he had somehow cracked it. "Come here."

"What?" Tikki as she flew over and leaned in close to Plagg, concern on her little face. "What's the matter?"

"Remember who Marinette is watching down in the courtyard." Plagg whispered in Ancient Chinese to the other kwami so that Marinette, who was still in a tangled heap, couldn't hear him and if she could she wouldn't be able to understand him anyway. "You're supposed to be the smart one, not me. Think Tikki."

"What?" Tikki responded before her eyes went wide and she slapped her forehead. "I'm an idiot, aren't I? Of course he's fine, sorry I just panicked when you showed up in front of Marinette without warning."

"It's ok." Plagg groaned out as he pulled himself off the wall, ignoring the crack in it, and floated over to where Marinette was now getting to her feet as the pain began to recede from him, Plagg had been through much worse in his long life. "Hello Marinette, sorry to startle you but I had to talk to you while either in civilian form or while transformed when my human wasn't."

"You're a kwami?" Marinette said with confusion on her face. "Cat Noir's kwami right?"

"Correct and I know who you are." Plagg said with a nod that hurt his head slightly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"Right, the Dark Owl incident." Marinette said. "Er, sorry about punching you."

"It's ok." Plagg said with a wave of his paw. "Trust me I have had worse. Whatever you do, never taunt the Guardian of Earth after beating him in a card game unless you are prepared to be thrown through half a dozen pillars of stone that he created just for that purpose. It was a good punch though, some of the fighting has been paying off it seems."

"Thanks." Marinette said hesitantly with a look of confusion on her face.

"Plagg, why are you here if your human is not in trouble." Tikki said floating over to them. "This isn't exactly professional given that we are supposed to be keeping a fair distance from one another."

"Well that is kind of hard isn't it Tikki." Plagg said pointing out the obvious that only he and Tikki knew. "But I came here to ask for a favor from Marinette."

"Why would you need a favor from me?" Marinette asked the confusion on her face deepening.

"Because Cat Noir's birthday is coming up." Plagg said. "And he can't have a party this year due to complications at home. So, I decided that it would be a great thing to come and ask if you, as Ladybug of course, could get him something. It's next week and it would mean a lot to him if you got him something."

"And you will claim the credit for sorting this out so you can reap the rewards afterwards." Tikki said looking at Plagg and Plagg could tell that she knew he had given an inaccurate date as Adrien's actual birthday was a fortnight away.

"Tikki, how long have you known me?" Plagg said with a smile that showed off his pointed canines. "Of course, I will take the credit for it. Who was it who told Alexander to conquer Persia or suggested that Minamoto Yoritomo should become the first Shogun of Japan?"

"Neither of those were you but I know you still claim credit for it." Tikki said with a sigh. "Very well, this is a good idea, but it is up to Marinette."

"I can do that." Marinette said with a nod still slightly confused at the kwami's exchange. "Cat Noir is my partner and I am more than willing to sort something out for his birthday, it's the least I can do for all the aid he has provided me over the last few years. I am currently working on a new scarf, this time with my signature on it, for Adrien but I can work on something for Cat as well."

"Don't go with clothes." Plagg said as he struggled to keep a straight face at Marinette referring to Adrien and Cat Noir as separate people. "I know you are talented at that but there are two problems with clothes. One is that your style is very distinctive, and you always sign your work so either of those factors could give away your secret to him. The second is that he might wear said clothes in his civilian form as he isn't that bright at times and as a result you might learn his secret should you accidentally run into him out and about in Paris. Neither of which I am sure either of you want, am I right?"

"That is a surprisingly clever idea Plagg." Tikki said with amazement.

"No need to be condescending Tikki." Plagg said with a smile. "I have had plenty of ideas in my long life."

"Like the time you decided to try some homegrown moonshine in North Carolina and woke up in a tree with a bowtruckle in what is nowadays Idaho." Tikki pointed out. "That caused a lot of problems for Paul if I recall correctly as he was in Massachusetts at the time. Then there was the time you thought it would be a good idea to go drinking and gambling with Wat Tyler and started the Peasant's Revolt during one of our several deployments in England, and one of our few failures to execute a mission assigned to us. Or how about ..."

"Alright I get it, I don't have a 100% with my ideas." Plagg said interrupted with a sheepish look on his face. "No one is purrfect."

"Please no cat puns." Marinette said interrupting the kwamis. "I get enough of those from Cat Noir thank you very much. Please, let's keep on topic so I don't get lost, again. Remember I don't know much about yours or Tikki's history so when you start referring to it I am utterly lost. Anyway, I can do what you want Plagg. I should be able to pick up the new Ladybug and Cat Noir pop figures that they will be released this weekend. I assume that Cat Noir doesn't have either of those."

"No, he doesn't." Plagg said with a nod. "And I will make sure he doesn't get them so that they come from Ladybug. Now if that is all I should probably get back to my hiding place before my human is done with his current activity and wonders what trouble I have gotten myself into this time."

"He would feint if he knew half the shit I knew." Tikki said with a shake of her head.

"Please, Tikki." Plagg said with a hint of pride. "He would feint if he knew less than a quarter of the shit I have done to get into trouble, but such is the nature of destruction."

"Stupid cat." Tikki muttered.

"Goodbye, I am sure we will meet again one day." Plagg said ignoring Tikki.

"Goodbye Plagg and thank you for letting me know." Marinette said as Plagg bowed in midair at her before sticking his tongue out at Tikki. "I will sort it out don't worry."

Plagg nodded one more time before he flew off and back to the locker room, making sure he took an indirect route to get there to throw off suspicion. He trusted that Marinette would be competent enough to sort it out, when that girl put her mind to something she usually accomplished it with the exception of telling Adrien her feelings for him. Plagg smirked as he flew off, he was such a good kwami to Adrien. This was another brilliant plan of his, there was nothing that could go wrong with it.

* * *

Adrien landed lightly on the rooftop that Ladybug had asked him to meet her at today and tried not to smile too widely. It wasn't because she had finally given him the chance he wanted, he was still working on that, no it was something almost as good. Today was his unofficial birthday as Cat Noir, and Ladybug apparently had a small present for him.

Plagg had told him that he had spoken with Ladybug and arranged it as part of his own present for Adrien, his physical present from Plagg would come on Adrien's actual birthday. Adrien knew that that had meant that Plagg had almost certainly spoken to Ladybug's civilian face, a face he knew that his kwami knew. Adrien also knew that no matter how much he tried to bribe Plagg with the best cheeses in the world. The little imp would never tell him who she was under her mask as it seemed this was something even cheese couldn't sway Plagg on. Plagg had also given Ladybug the wrong day as Adrien's actual birthday was a week away but this way there was no chance that Ladybug could connect him to Cat Noir.

While Adrien knew that there was only a slim chance that he and Ladybug knew each other in the civilian world, he also knew that if his luck was as good as it usually was then they almost certainly knew each other. That was why this plan worked for Adrien as he was still getting something from Ladybug, who he would get something for her birthday when the time came and protect his identity. Adrien wanted to reveal himself to her, but he knew that she wasn't ready, so he wasn't going to force the issue on her. He would find out who his lady was when the time was right.

At the exact time she had told him she would arrive, Ladybug arrived. She had swung in and was holding a small bag over her shoulder, smiling as she landed and hugged him. The lack of reciprocated feelings was tough for Adrien, but he knew that one day he and Ladybug would be together, he just couldn't give up on her.

"Happy birthday Cat Noir." Ladybug said as they broke apart. "And please thank your kwami for letting me know about it."

"Oh, I will." Adrien said with a smile. "Though he won't shut up about taking credit for it."

"Haha true he did strike me as the kind of kwami who likes himself a lot." Ladybug said with a laugh. "Bit like you it seems."

"You have no idea." Adrien said shaking his head. "But I agree, I am amazing."

"Well seeing as your kwami approached me in civilian form, expect mine to do the same near my birthday." Ladybug said ignoring Adrien's little bout of narcissism. "It is only fair plus I think she wants to do that, she doesn't want to be upstaged by your kwami."

"I look forward to meeting her." Adrien said noting without surprise that Ladybug's kwami was female. "And I understand, I wouldn't want to be upstaged by my kwami either,"

"Anyway, here is what I have for you." Ladybug said as she unslung the bag and pulled out two small boxes, one wrapped in black paper with green paw prints, the other in red with black dots on it, their patterns. "Your kwami said that you didn't have these, so I thought you would like them. They're nothing special but it is funny that they have made them so I thought you would appreciate them."

"Thank you, the fact that it comes from you m'lady means more than anything you could have gotten me." Adrien said with a warm smile as he accept the presents. "Other than your love of course."

"In your dreams kitty." Ladybug said playfully, engaging in the banter he loved.

"Always." Adrien said with a wink to which Ladybug just rolled her eyes at him.

Deciding to end their little banter session and that it would be polite to open them here in front of her, Adrien did. The one in the Cat Noir paper was a pop figure of Ladybug while the one with her wrapping paper had the pop figure of him. They were good representations of them, even if they were a little off. Still Adrien felt honored that they had made the figures of them as they were pretty awesome to have. He had a few pop figures from some of the comics and shows he like but never anything from real life like heroes or sports stars. Still, these were amazing figures, and he loved how Ladybug had decided to wrap each in the opposite wrapping paper.

"Thank you, bugaboo." Adrien said looking at Ladybug who blushed slightly. "This means a lot coming from you."

"Well we are partners and I trust you more than anyone else." Ladybug said recovering from her embarrassment. "Plus, Plagg told me your dad was being annoying."

"I'm used to it." Adrien said with a hint of sadness. "Besides, this is all I ever want for my birthday, to spend it with friends and have a good time, it's Plagg who really wants the party. Thank you m'lady."

"Well you're welcome kitty." Ladybug said. "But I have to go now, my parents need me to be home soon. See you around Cat Noir and again, Happy Birthday."

With that Ladybug hugged him again before swinging away from the roof leaving Adrien there alone with the gifts. Putting them in a bag Plagg had suggest he bring Adrien ran to the edge of the roof and leapt of it and began to use his baton to return to his room as fast as possible. He was going to have to get some display cases for the figures so that they could be preserved and displayed in his room where he would always see them. Plagg had given him a great present in setting this up, perhaps his kwami did deserve that cheese reward he had not so subtly been hinting at ever since he had told Adrien about what he had set up for him.

* * *

It was a week after Adrien's actual birthday and he was in his room with Alya, Nino and Marinette. They had been given a group project to work on for science class and seeing as Adrien had by far the nicest and largest room, and knew the material best from his years of private tutoring, they had decided to use it for the project.

His father had been reluctant at first to allow it but in the end had acquiesced as it was purely for school, providing that as soon as they were done Adrien practiced his piano. Gabriel Agreste also had an important video call that day with the designer of his latest line of suits that were set to hit stores in a few months and had to focus on that as apparently the designer was incompetent, and according to Adrien's father that was a compliment.

Still Adrien didn't care about that. All he cared about was that he finally got the chance to chill in his room with his friends and work on homework together like a normal teen, and then use some of the awesome stuff in his room when they were done. The project was a straightforward one that Adrien had already known the science for thanks to his years of private tutors, so it was mainly him helping the other three with the work and trying not to laugh at Marinette's almost constant awkward clumsiness. It was a good thing that this was just theory and not practical work or else Marinette might have blown them all up by this point.

Of course, as always, Adrien's luck was not meant to last forever. The good afternoon that they were spending was suddenly interrupted by a news alert on Alya's phone. Adrien groaned knowing full well that any alert on Alya's phone could only mean one thing. An akuma attack had just started and she needed to go find it and film it for the Ladyblog.

"Adrien, quick turn on the news." Alya ordered and he reluctantly agreed to do so but only because he should find out what he would be facing this time.

Picking up his remote, Adrien turned the TV in his room on. After taking a moment to find the right channel, Adrien turned it onto the main news channel for Paris to see what akuma he was going to have to deal with. For some reason Marinette was really focused on the news as well and looked very serious in that moment.

"This is Nadja Chamack for TVi." Came the familiar voice of the local news anchor. "Reporting live on yet another akuma attack. It would appear that a local tailor, famous for making the finest suits for all of Paris's elite citizens, has just been akumatized. Details are sketchy on his name and appearance as we have no cameras at the scene yet, but we do know that he was akumatized after a meeting with fashion designer and mogul Gabriel Agreste. It can only be assumed that like the past akuma Simon Says, this one too is heading for the Agreste mansion to seek vengeance against Mr. Agreste."

"Great dad, you just had to akumatized someone again." Adrien muttered as he turned off the TV and turned to his friends. "I'm sorry but you heard Nadja, we should reschedule this but for now it will be best to go."

"Go, but the akuma is coming here." Alya exclaimed as she tapped through her phone for the right app she needed. "I am right in the center of the action."

"I know which is why I can't let that happen." Adrien said as he began to hurry them out. "Plus, I need to make sure my dad is ok."

"Adrien does have a point babe." Nino said as he quickly gathered his stuff. "Besides this way you can wait outside and be the first on the scene of the attack thus keeping your reputation as the best, fastest and most reliable source of news for anything Ladybug and Cat Noir related."

"Fine but we aren't going far Adrien." Alya said as she and Nino left. Marinette was also about to leave when Adrien suddenly remembered something that.

"Marinette wait I need a favor from you." Adrien said hurriedly as he ran over to his bedside table to find the two plastic display boxes he kept there where he could look at them whenever he wanted.

"Sure Adrien, anything for you." Marinette said quickly, her usually stuttering and lack of coherent sentences around him gone likely due to the impending attack on the mansion. "But I really should get going as well."

"I know but I need you to take these before Ladybug arrives or else it might be awkward." Adrien said as he hurried back to Marinette.

Adrien had just realized that if there was going to be an attack on their home then there was a high chance that the fight would end up here. If it did end up here, then Ladybug might find the one thing that would truly give away his secret. Running back to Marinette Adrien handed over the two glass display cases holding the two pop figures Ladybug had given him 2 weeks ago.

"What are these?" Marinette asked before her eyes went wide at what she was holding, and she gasped loudly at them.

"Ladybug gave them to me a few weeks back but well let's just say that if she finds them there will be a few awkward questions that I don't want to answer just yet." Adrien said hurriedly, looking around nervously as the akuma could strike at any moment depending on how fast it could move, he probably shouldn't have turned the TV off but too late now. Adrien had to get Marinette out of his room and transform as soon as possible. "Just please, Marinette help me out and keep them safe, they are very special to me."

* * *

Marinette gaped at what she was seeing. It was a set of two pop figures in toughened plastic display and preservation cases, the same two figures that she had given Cat Noir 2 weeks ago, Ladybug and Cat Noir. That coupled with Adrien's hurried explanation for them made her realize one thing. These were in fact the very figures she had given Cat Noir for his birthday.

That could only mean one thing; Adrien was Cat Noir! The boy she loved was her crime fighting also meant that he liked her back. That alone was almost enough to overwhelm Marinette, but she pushed down those emotions as best she could. They had an akuma to defeat right now, this had to wait.

Adrien in his sweet oblivious nature had just tried to protect his identity from Ladybug by revealing his identity to Ladybug but when you don't know someone's identity, what are the chances that you know them in civilian life? Low as Marinette hadn't expected to know Cat Noir's civilian form in real life and she assumed that Adrien had had the same expectations.

However, right now that was all irrelevant. Marinette knew that time was pressing for the attack and that there was a whole lot that they needed to talk about but for now they had a job to do. They were the protectors of Paris after all, this is what they did.

Marinette looked behind her and saw that the Alya and Nino were gone. With a quick move she handed the cases back into Adrien arms and closed the door before turning to him. She knew his secret, so he might as well know hers as well. Plus this was the akuma's target so the perfect place to transform.

"Adrien, there is a lot we are going to have to talk about but for now I only have this to say." She said as confidently as she could to a very confused looking Adrien.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

This time it was Adrien's turn to gape as Marinette turned into Ladybug in front of his very eyes. He had no idea how to react to this sudden realization other than shocked amazement at what he was seeing. He had hoped to avoid this precise situation by entrusting the figures to Marinette, but it had apparently backfired on him. He wasn't complaining though now that he knew who his love was under her mask.

"Put those down and transform." Marinette ordered just as a loud explosion nearby could be heard marking the approach of an angry akuma. "We can talk about all this later, and trust me there is a lot we are going to have to talk about, but for now we need to save your dad from yet another akuma."

"As you command, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile as he placed the cases on the nearest surface he could find in his room. "Plagg, claws out!"

In a second he had transformed into Cat Noir. All Ladybug did was nod at him before she threw he yo-yo at the window frame and swung out of the room. Adrien just smiled as he ran after her.

Yes, they had a lot to talk about, and he had some feelings to confess to the girl he loved, but all that could wait. They had to do what they did best first and that was kick yet another of Hawk Moth's akuma's ass, save the person who had caused the akuma, and protect Paris yet again.

As Adrien leapt out of the window behind Marinette, one thing was certain. It been a great birthday for him this year, Adrien couldn't have asked for a better one.

 **Short, sweet and simple, a trend that will continue with tomorrow's bonus oneshot. As I said, the bonus oneshot has been timed to be right after this oneshot for a specific reason that will be made clear once it is published and it comes from my self created prompt cache. After tomorrow things will return to normal schedule for next week's oneshot, the 25th in this series and another epic length one. There is another bonus one planned for the 27th oneshot as tomorrow's bonus oneshot is technically after the deadline I set after 'History' for its release but that will come in a few weeks. The only other thing to note here is that for those who are unaware, there are in fact Ladybug with Tikki, Cat Noir with Plagg, and Hawk Moth pop figures, all of which I own. That's enough for this post chapter note,** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the prompts list can always grow and keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until tomorrow.****

 ** **Stringdog****


	24. Gifts

**Here is the 24th and second bonus oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This oneshot is my bonus oneshot for y'all to make up for when I was late last month with 'History' and as such in order to maintain professionalism I am making up for my failure to meet my self imposed deadline with an additional oneshot for y'all from my self generated prompts list. However due to this being released 6 days after the deadline I imposed for releasing it, I will release another bonus oneshot in about 2 weeks after the 25th and 26th (the latter has a very amusing title by the way) have been released on their respective weeks. This lateness is due to the similarities between it and yesterday's oneshot 'Birthday' that was suggested a while back and as such I felt it would be interesting to release them back to back. While this is a self generated prompt I do give credit to my inspiration for it and that inspiration comes from the user Kristine Angela Booth's fanfic 'The Chat's Out of the Bag' as I had the idea for this oneshot while reading it a few months bag and at the time this series was in its infancy and didn't have the great suggestions it now has. In addition there is an identically named oneshot in theinkwell33's stellar reveal collection 'Behind the Masks' the overall series that inspired me to try my own hand at writing a reveal collection, however that oneshot did not inspire this one, the names are merely coincidental. Anyway, enough rambling, sit back and enjoy this bonus oneshot in this series, Gifts.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Gifts** **\- It is Christmas time in Paris, the season of giving. In the spirit of the season, both Cat Noir and Ladybug give each other a small gift to celebrate the holiday. Both chose to get or make things that their compatriot can wear in their regular lives. For Marinette it is because she can easily make distinct and unique clothes for her friends, for Adrien it is because he loves Ladybug and felt like jewelry was the best sign of that. Surely wearing such items in their civilians wouldn't cause a problem now, would it?  
**

* * *

 **Gifts**

Adrien looked through the jewelry on display in the various glass cases in the store with a critical eye. It was a week before Christmas and Adrien had managed to persuade his dad, after a lot of effort, to allow him to go shopping so that he could get a few presents for his friends. Of course, the catch had been that both his bodyguard and Nathalie join Adrien while he was out of the house. It was a concession that Adrien was willing to make as it allowed him to spend some time out of the house in the festive city over the holiday and it allowed him to shop for his friends.

Right now, he was in a jewelry store in a high-end district of Paris. While Adrien would have been fine going to a less expensive or fancy store to get the gifts he had planned to but, his father would have none of it. If Adrien was going to get gifts for his friends, then he was going to get the very best and show off the family's wealth in the process, it was a matter of maintaining Gabriel Agreste's reputation. Adrien had reluctantly agreed to this though secretly he was more than happy to get the best for his friends, they deserved it.

He had already gotten gifts for Alya, Marinette and Nino, all that was left was Chloe, hence why he was in a jewelry store. Chloe was a pain in the ass to shop for and always demanded the very best and only the top designer brands. Therefore, Adrien usually played it safe by getting her earrings, bracelets or necklaces that could go with any outfit she had as Chloe did like jewelry, the more expensive the better. That was what he was doing here and had gotten her a simple set of platinum earrings with a matching bracelet, all containing a semi-precious yellow gem that would match with her usual outfit. Plus, yellow seemed to be Chloe's favorite color and it did look good on here so it was the safest bet.

With the items for Chloe picked out, Adrien went over to a specialty counter he had seen when he entered and stopped dead. It was a complete selection of Ladybug and Cat Noir themed jewelry. He had known that Paris was obsessed with their superhero due but still this seemed a little much, especially the high end replicas of his and Ladybug's miraculouses. However, the items were well crafted and a few of them caught his eye. Deciding on the spot, Adrien knew that he had to get something for Ladybug as she was his crime fighting partner, one of his closest friends, and the love of his life. He had a feeling she would appreciate something from this collection.

Instantly two items caught his eye. The first was something he could give Ladybug during their last patrol before Christmas. They usually did a special patrol on Christmas which entailed them visiting the Children's Hospital in Paris, as well as other children wards, and delivering presents various charities had gotten the sick children of Paris. It was a kind gesture for those who couldn't spend Christmas with their families and had become a tradition for the pair.

Adrien shook his head to clear the thoughts of his upcoming plans and focused on the display case. The first item was perfect for Christmas. It was a ladybug pendent made out of colored cubic zirconium on a delicate silver chain and in a silver setting. Nice but not flashy or ridiculously expensive.

That was reserved for the other gift he got her. This was something he would save until they had either revealed their secret identities to one another or until she had finally been swayed by his charming flirting and flawless personality and fallen in love with him just he had with her. This one was something his father, and Chloe for that matter, would have approved of. It was a ladybug broach of the highest quality. The red shell was a single flawlessly cut ruby, the black spots on the shell a series of small onyx stones, same with the head, legs and antennae. All of this was set into a platinum holder. It was the perfect thing to get now and keep safe so that he could present it to her at the right moment.

"Are you done Adrien?" Nathalie asked from behind him causing Adrien to jump slightly. "Your father wants you home soon."

"Just picking out the last few things." Adrien said as he quickly used his dad's credit card to pay for all the jewelry he had selected.

"Good." Nathalie said and turned to walk out the store and back to the car while Adrien hurried after her with his purchases. "Tell me what gift is for which friend and I will have them wrapped and delivered to them before Christmas if they are too large for you to bring to school on the last day before Christmas break."

"Well the DJ deck and mixing board is obviously for Nino." Adrien said as soon as they were in the car and Nathalie began making notes on her ever present clipboard. "The top of the line recording and filming equipment with special Ladybug decal is for Alya, as is the note with her name on it, the earrings and bracelet set is for Chloe, and the fashion ticket and design workshop invite."

"Is for the baker's daughter Marinette." Nathalie finished with a nod. "Yes, that one was easy to figure out given that girl's exceptional talent in the field."

Adrien just nodded. Nathalie was a consummate professional and he knew that she would get everything done. The gifts had been well chosen in his mind. Nino needed a new set of DJ gear but couldn't afford it, Alya had been moaning about not having the best stuff for her Ladyblog, which was causing her to miss a few things when recording for it. The note he intended to give her on the last day of school contained a time and place for her to be at for an exclusive interview with Cat Noir that he had set up just for her as a way for her to use the new equipment he had bought the amateur blogger.

As for Marinette, that had been the easiest gift to sort out. His friend was really into fashion, so it had been easy for him to secure a front row, VIP and backstage ticket to his upcoming show for her. That way he could show her around the scene that he hated but knew that Marinette would like. He had also arranged for her to get an invite into his father's exclusive workshop for young, aspiring designers though Marinette's portfolio could have gotten her in regardless, Adrien had only done it because Marinette hadn't applied for it for some reason. Yes his friend's gifts had been well chosen and things that all of them deserved.

Adrien sighed contentedly as he looked out of the window as snow fell around Paris he smiled. He had sorted out a series of gifts for his friends and he was happy to finally be able to enjoy a Christmas with friends for the first time since his mother had disappeared. Now all he had to do was wrap Ladybug's gift and give it to her. All was well with the world at the moment.

* * *

Marinette sat at her work station in her room adding the finishing touches to her latest creation. It was Christmas time and Marinette was making her friend clothes for it. Not only did it allow her to practice her design and creation skills, one of her biggest passions, but it also added a personal touch to the gifts as her friends knew that she had made them herself. They would be unique as Marinette had a style all of her own and her friends appreciated that as much as the fact that Marinette had personally made the items for them.

Marinette had already finished her gifts for her family and for Alya, all various different items of winter clothing with various themes, macaroons for her mom, robots for her dad and a ladybug print for Alya. She had also finished Adrien's gift though that had been the hardest of all the ones made for friends and family as it was her first foray into working with leather.

Normally Marinette focused on working with fabrics or yarn as that was what she was used to working with, but she had decided to broaden her abilities today and make something out of leather. It had taken her a while, and a few failed tries, but she finally was able to make a pair of black leather, fur lined, gloves for Adrien with her signature on the inside. She thought that they would look great on him and be warm for the winter months, plus if they were a little off it would give her an excuse to correct them with Adrien. Buoyed by her success, she had decided to work on something special for Cat Noir.

He was her akuma fighting partner and the person she trusted most in the world, so he deserved something special, though minus her usual signature as she had already ruined one product when Tikki had pointed out she had signed it without thinking thus giving away her real name if Cat Noir knew how to look for it in the signature. This time Marinette had added a little metalwork to her skills though only enough so that she could complete her work. Marinette had actual had to buy the precise pieces she needed in a ready made form and then add them to the item she was making, but in a city smitten by Ladybug and Cat Noir they hadn't been too hard to find. At last the final piece was attached and Marinette sighed in relief and looked at what she had made.

It wasn't her best work, but the item was simple and for a first attempt at the accessory Marinette felt that she had done a good job. She had made Cat Noir a belt. It was black leather with several green paw prints made out of stainless steel evenly spaced around the belt at intervals to show the symbol of his miraculous. The last and hardest part had been the buckle. It was a single green cat's eye that was made out of metal that looked just like one of Cat Noir's eyes. Holding it up Marinette nodded at her creation.

"It looks really good." Tikki said with a smile as the kwami floated over to inspect the creation. "I think he will like it."

"It does suit him doesn't it." Marinette agreed admiring her creation. "Fits with his flashiness and over inflated ego."

"True." Tikki said with a nod. "Plus, you now know you can make belts."

"I know." Marinette said smiling. "It adds even more to my repertoire of designs. Of course I will still primarily focus on what I am best at but accessories like belts are some of the hottest sellers so the more I practice the better I get but it is always good to expand the range of my abilities, it will give me better chances at catching a break in the fashion world. I can't wait to see Cat Noir's face when I give it to him when we meet for tonight's patrol, or more accurately gift exchange as there isn't much going on over the holiday season it seems."

"Speaking of tonight's patrol, don't you have to meet him soon." Tikki pointed out.

"Merde! You're right Tikki." Marinette swore as she realized that she only had a few minutes. "Tikki, spots on!"

In a second Marinette had changed into Ladybug. Hastily wrapping the belt, she put in in a small bag and proceeded out of her room and to her roof via the trapdoor in the room's ceiling. Up there she shivered slightly in the snow and a moment later she couldn't help but stifle a yawn. For some reason she always got a little tired in the winter when it got cold and she was transformed into Ladybug but it was never enough to affect her skills, at least not badly though she was often a hair slower than usual. Ignoring her sudden drowsiness, Marinette threw her yo-yo and swung into the night.

It didn't take long for Marinette to reach the meeting point that they had agreed upon. Officially they called this a patrol but they both knew that it was just a simple gift exchange before going home to spend the Christmas season with their families.

Cat Noir was already waiting for her on the rooftop, a small gift-wrapped box on his waist. Marinette smiled as she landed, stumbling slightly as she felt the cold sap her strength a little but managing to avoid face planting and making a fool of herself, had she been regular Marinette and Cat Noir been Adrien she would have definitely face planted right at his feet.

"You ok m'lady." Cat Noir said with a hint of concern as he walked over to her. "It's nice to see you too but there is no need to fall for me, at least not in that way."

"Funny kitty." Marinette said as she straightened herself. "Just a little lethargic from the weather, it happens at wintertime for some reason."

"Yeah I get that." Cat Noir replied with a smile. "Though its rain for me not cold. Anyway, here is your gift. I found it earlier and thought it suited you."

Marinette raised an eyebrow but took the box, unwrapped it and opened the jewelry box under the wrapping. Inside was a beautiful Ladybug pendant. She couldn't put it on right now, but she certainly would wear it tomorrow under her shirt.

"Cat, it's beautiful." Marinette said with a smile as she closed the box and out it on her hip. "I can't wear it with my suit, but I will put it on later don't worry. Here's yours, I made it for you myself."

* * *

It was Adrien's turn to quirk an eyebrow at the gift idea. He knew that Ladybug was well versed in fashion from their fights with villains that had target him or his father, but he didn't know she was a designer as well. That was a piece of info to keep in the back pocket for when he wanted to try and figure out who she was.

Deciding not to ask her about her apparent fashion passion, Adrien took the gift from his lady. Opening the bag that he handed back to her, he pulled out a wrapped item. Opening it Adrien's mouth fell open at the belt it contained. It was amazing, as good as anything his dad designed and perfectly suited to him. He was going to have to wear it tomorrow.

"My lady, it's amazing." Adrien said with a smile that caused Ladybug to blush.

"It was my first attempt at a belt." Ladybug admitted which surprised Adrien. "I usually stick to dresses, skirts, hats, and shirts, as well as a little knitting, but I need to branch out a bit."

"Well I love it." Adrien said with a smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"Good to know." Ladybug said after he had let her go. "Anyway, I need to get back, there are still a few last-minute things I need to sort out for tomorrow."

"Same." Adrien said. "See you at Christmas, bugaboo."

"See you then, kitty." Ladybug said as she swung away.

Adrien sighed as he watched her swing away. Someday she would be his, but he knew that day wasn't soon. Adrien was content to wait until that day though, he knew that someday his patience would pay off, at some point fate would be on his side.

* * *

It was the last day of classes, and the kids at Francoise Dupont High School were all exchanging gifts at school. Marinette had already given out her handmade presents to them, Alya had focused on small cameras that they could all use to help with the Ladyblog, Adrien had been worried about them and for some reason so had Marinette, but he figured he could find a use for it for Alya's sake. Nino had given them all various mix tapes based on their favorite songs. Now it was Adrien's turn.

"Nino and Alya, your presents were a little too big to bring and will be delivered to your places." Adrien said before handing out an envelope to Alya and a thicker one to Marinette. "But Alya, I can give you this. Marinette, your gift isn't physical, but it is something I think you will enjoy it."

"What is this?" Alya asked as she opened it and then squealed at the note inside causing all three of them to cover their ears at the sound. "Adrien! How did you manage this? I have been trying to get this interview for ages."

"Well Cat Noir and I have become friends after he saved me from Gorizilla." Adrien said with a shrug. "So, I asked him to help set it up for you. I know you are focused on Ladybug, but I don't know her as well."

"I care about both heroes of Paris." Alya replied. "Though yes, I have been neglecting Cat Noir a bit, I will make it up to him with this interview. Thank you. What did you get Marinette? … Marinette?"

Marinette was just staying at the ticket, the special passes, and the invite to the design workshop in her hand open mouthed, her eyes wide. Alya walked behind her to look at it as Adrien smiled at the stunned reaction on his shy friend's face. Again, Alya squealed when she saw what Adrien had gotten Marinette.

"Adrien that is an amazing gift." Alya said while Marinette continued to gawk at it. "It's perfect, though you may have broken Marinette in the process."

"Th-thanks Adrien." Marinette finally managed to stutter out as she closed the envelope and placed it carefully in her bag. "Your perfect, I mean it's perfect."

"I know how much you like fashion and my modeling." Adrien said with a wink that caused Marinette to somehow go redder than Ladybug's suit. "So, I thought it would be a good thing for you. The show is in the new year, so it is coming up. I'll be in it but when I am not modeling, I'll show you around the backstage part so you can get a glimpse of the fashion world."

Marinette just nodded still clearly stunned by the gift. Before anyone else could say anything, the school bell rang. It was officially the end of the winter semester.

"I gotta go." Adrien said waving at them. "My dad wants me home as soon as classes are over. See you next semester."

"Wait up dude, I'll head out with you." Nino said as he put his arm around Adrien and the pair headed for exit.

Adrien smiled, it may be the end of the semester, but he had friends he could count on and would see as soon as the holidays were over. It would rather have them around for the holiday but Adrien knew better than to ask his dad to allow it, still he had his friends and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"He's gone Marinette, you can breathe again." Alya said and Marinette inhaled before turning to her best friend.

"I can't believe he got me that!" Marinette said thrilled and bouncing up and down in front of her best friend. "It's perfect. I didn't think I could love him more than I already did but apparently I can."

"I know." Alya said with a smile. "And it is practically a date. If you play your cards right and don't melt like usual and show him how great you are he might finally get it through his very thick skull that the perfect woman is right in front of him."

"You think?" Marinette asked nervously as they headed to the exit. "Cos you know how I get around him, I …"

Marinette didn't get to finish her sentence as soon as they reached the top of the stairs at the school's entrance she slipped on a patch of ice. In classic Marinette fashion she proceeded to fall down the stairs. Fortunately, Adrien had heard her scream and turned in time to catch her before she really hurt herself on the ground below, though not before she bruised herself on the fall down the stairs. Unfortunately, Marinette didn't realize that something had slipped out from under her shirt and was now dangling right in front of her, in clear view of Adrien.

* * *

Adrien heard the yell of surprise and turned in time to see Marinette fall down the stairs, again. Acting on instinct, he caught her as she reached the bottom to try and prevent his friend from seriously hurting herself and helped her to her feet. Adrien would have let go and ask how she was but as he looked down at her he noticed a pendant that had been hidden under her shirt had popped loose and was now hanging right in front of him. It was the very pendant that he had given Ladybug the day before, Adrien would have notice it anywhere.

The shock of that and the fact that it could only mean one thing was enough to prevent Adrien from letting go of Marinette. However, for her part Marinette was not letting go of him either but for some reason was staring at his waistline.

* * *

Marinette was very happy when Adrien caught and not just because he had prevented her from suffering a serious injury but because she was in his arms again, a feeling she enjoyed a lot. However, as Adrien steadied her on her feet, his jacket lifted up and she saw the belt that he was wearing. It was a black belt with a green cats' eye buckle and green paw prints on it. Marinette would recognize that belt anywhere seeing as she had made it with her own hands and she knew who she had given it the night before. It could only mean one thing, Adrien was Cat Noir.

The sight and that sudden revelation cause Marinette to jump back from Adrien, blushing furiously, and almost falling over and onto her ass in the process. She looked at Adrien to see that he too was blushing for some reason.

"N-nice b-belt Adrien." Marinette stammered out.

"Huh?" Adrien asked before looking down and quickly covering it, a hint of panic in his eyes. "Oh yeah, it was a gift from a family member who thought it looked like Cat Noir and knew I liked the heroes of Paris. By the way, that's a pretty pendent Marinette."

Marinette knew that Adrien was lying about the belt, thus confirmed his identity to her but as soon as he mentioned pendent her eyes went wide and she looked down at her chest. Marinette cursed at herself when she saw that the pendant that Cat Noir had given her the night before had fallen out and was now visible for Adrien to see.

* * *

"It was a gift from my grandmother in Italy." Marinette said quickly, and Adrien instantly knew that she was lying. "She's bad at timing everything but she thought it looked like Ladybug, so she sent it to me for Christmas."

"Well it is very nice." Adrien said with a smile as Marinette hastily put it under her shirt. Suddenly a horn honked behind him and Adrien knew that his bodyguard was getting impatient, Christmas was his favorite time of the year after all and Adrien knew that the man wanted to celebrate it as much as possible. "I, er, have to go. See you soon Marinette."

"Yeah, y-you too." Marinette said as Adrien turned and headed to his car.

As soon as the doors were closed Adrien let out a long sigh. There was no doubt in his mind, Marinette was Ladybug, that pendant had been the only one in the store and he knew it well from inspecting it before wrapping it for her. That also meant that Marinette was the love of his life as Adrien knew that he would love the girl under the mask because she was the one who donned the mask of Ladybug, the woman he had fallen in love with. There was also a chance that she knew who he was as she had seen his belt. He just needed Plagg to confirm all his new suspicions and then figure out what to do about it. Unbeknownst to Adrien, Marinette was having similar thoughts of her own.

* * *

"He's Cat Noir, isn't he?" Marinette asked Tikki as soon as she got home from the last day of school before the winter break.

"Who?" Tikki asked with feigned confusion that didn't fool Marinette in the slightest.

"Adrien of course." Marinette said as she flopped down on her chaise. "The love of my life is my flirtatious, infuriating, pun making, akuma fighting partner."

"Oh him, yes, yes he is." Tikki said with a nod.

"And you couldn't tell me because?"

"Well it is against the rules for kwamis to tell their humans the secret identity of another kwami's human, breaking our oaths usually means some form of punishment by the forces of the universe." Tikki explained. "We kwamis are sworn to secrecy and can only reveal certain things with express permission of our holders or in scenarios when we must act for the betterment of all and as a result must divulge critical information like a miraculous holder's civilian identity. Neither of which occurred with Adrien, so I couldn't tell you. However, now that you have figured it out for yourself I can confirm it to you."

"Helpful." Marinette grumbled as she remembered the conversation she had had with Adrien when she saw the belt. That was when she remembered that he had seen the pendant that Cat Noir, Adrien, had given her and sat up a look of fear on her face. "Merde! Tikki, I think Adrien knows as well."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it." Tikki said as she began to help herself to a cookie, talking as if it was nothing. "He did see that pendant that he gave you yesterday after all and as terrible as Adrien is about seeing your clear feelings for him, he is a smart cookie and can put two and two together. Sorry, couldn't resist that pun given the situation."

"Great, what am I going to do now?" Marinette asked flopping back onto her chaise again, she had missed the pun completely, as she closed her eyes in despair.

"Well you could confront him about it after the Christmas hospital trip." Tikki suggested. "You both should now know the truth and can talk about it. Plus, this means that Adrien likes you back."

"What?" Marinette asked opening her eyes and looking over to her kwami.

"Well yeah, remember Cat Noir likes Ladybug." Tikki pointed out. "Which means that Adrien likes you and well you like Adrien, so it is all good. Bout time as well, whichever cruel love goddess that decided it would be fun to fuck with yours and Adrien's love lives and create a love square between you two deserves to be severely punished for that."

"Er, ok." Marinette said a little confused. "So, I should talk to him about it when I next see him?"

"That would be best." Tikki said with a nod. "Now that you know that you can talk to Adrien normally and that you both like each other you can finally confess your feelings for him. Christmas is only a few days away so just wait and then you will be able to sort all this out. So stop stressing Marinette, it's Christmas!"

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette said with a smile. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Neither would I." Tikki said shaking her head causing Marinette to laugh. "Neither would I."

* * *

Adrien stood atop the Children's Hospital in Paris waiting for Ladybug to return. They had just finished an awkward patrol of visiting the kids, handing out presents and signing autographs. Ladybug was currently being held up with a ward of young girls who wanted some time with the heroine of Paris and Adrien wasn't going to ruin their fun.

It had been a few days since he and Marinette had learned, via accidentally seeing the gifts they gave one another, the other's secret. Plagg had confirmed his suspicions that night while the kwami pigged out on cheese and theorized that Adrien was probably right in Marinette knowing the truth. Plagg had said that it would be best for them to talk to each other after this patrol so as to not detract from their noble act of kindness and Adrien had agreed.

Now though he was very nervous. Adrien knew that Marinette was Ladybug and the awkwardness earlier had made it clear that she knew who he was under his mask. Still that did not mean that the prospect of seeing his lady's face for the first time without the mask and confirming that it was his shy friend was not nerve racking.

Finally, Ladybug swung up and landed on the snow-covered roof of the hospital. Again, she seemed a step slow from the cold and stumbled a little when she landed on the roof, but Adrien decided not to question that oddity. Marinette steadied herself and slowly walked over to face him, a small blush on her face.

"So, we are finally alone." Adrien said breaking the slightly awkward silence. "I assume you know who I am under this mask."

"I do." Marinette replied with a small nod of her head. "And you know who I am I presume."

"The pendant was a dead giveaway." Adrien said with a smile.

"As was the belt." Marinette said with a smile of her own.

"It is a very nice belt." Adrien said causing Marinette to blush. "Very well made and fashionable, something only you could make."

"Thank you, so is the pendant though I know you only picked it out and didn't make it." Marinette said a little shyly.

Adrien could feel the awkwardness in the air and decided to just cut to the chase. Adrien preferred to be direct rather than beat around the bush when an issue or awkward situation faced him.

"Fuck it." Adrien said. "Plagg, claws in."

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said a second later, a note of relief in her voice.

Adrien smiled as he looked at a blushing Marinette who stood in her winter clothes in front of him. Likewise, Adrien stood before her, wrapped up for this talk.

"What now?" Marinette asked.

"Well I was wondering." Adrien said as he rubbed the back of neck and blushing slightly. "Would you like to make that fashion ticket into a date. I know you don't share my feelings for you, but now that we both know each other's secrets perhaps you will give me a chance just to see if there is something between us."

"Adrien." Marinette said softly as she walked up to him and put her arms around his neck and looked deeply into his eyes. Adrien could see nothing but the determination of Ladybug in Marinette's bluebell eyes. "I never gave Cat Noir a chance because I am in love with someone else, you. I have been in love with you ever since you apologized to me for the gum incident and gave me your umbrella that day in the rain. That was why I never gave Cat the chance he wanted, because it wouldn't be fair to you as Adrien. I love you and I couldn't give Cat Noir that chance because it wouldn't be fair, my heart will always belong to Adrien Agreste. Now that I know that you and Cat Noir are one and the same, well I would love to make that show our first date, kitty."

"Good." Adrien said with a smile as he continued to stare into Marinette's eyes, seeing nothing but love for him in them. "Because I love you too, bugaboo."

Marinette chuckled at that, but Adrien didn't give her a chance to reply. He bent down and atop the hospital kissed her. Marinette instantly deepened their first kiss pulling him closer to her with a passion that Adrien matched, they had both been waiting for this moment for years.

The new couple continued to enjoy their first moment as a couple as their kwamis looked on, the snow slowly falling around them as Christmas Day drew to a close. It truly had been a magical Christmas with the perfect ending for the young couple. Atop that hospital they gave each other the best Christmas gift of all, their love for one another.

 **I would have ideally released this around Christmas time but given the suggestion of using a birthday present to Adrien as the basis of reveal being so close to my self generated idea of Christmas gifts, I thought that it would be interesting to have 'Birthday' and 'Gifts' right next to each other for the sake of comparison, with the latter serving as the bonus oneshot I owed y'all. Next week's epic oneshot will either come out on Friday or Saturday depending on my schedule as I do resume my studies on Monday so my time will get a little pressed so it will either be 8 or 9 days until the next oneshot due to releasing early this week but I think it will be worth the wait. Otherwise, that is all for** ** **this post chapter note,** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more unique prompts I get now, the longer this series will last once the show finally gets around to having the actual reveal and keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.  
******

 ** ** **Stringdog******


	25. Astral

**Here is the 25th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Due to the academic year now starting for me, while I will try to get my oneshots out at the usual time, I will no longer guarantee anything better than over the course of each weekend as some of the longer ones will take more time to write around my studies. This oneshot was suggested by the same follower who has at this point suggested 10 other fantastic oneshots in this series and has provided me with 8 more prompts to work on over the coming weeks so all credit should rightful go to the suggester, I am merely doing my best to turn the prompts I have been given into oneshots. This is the 5th oneshot to be classified as an epic based on its length (currently the second longest in this series), a full list of classifications, including one above epic that only 'Trickster' has been classified as, will be at the end of this oneshot. The reason for the length is because this is my second attempt after 'Memory' of creating a fully detailed akuma and the second appearance of one of my Guardians (one whose element has been mentioned before), along with a more detailed account of Guardian Lore so as to not need it in future oneshots that may or may not contain a Guardian, which as of right now is 2 planned oneshots (26th and 29th oneshots). Anyway that is enough for this note, so s** ** **it back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Astral.****

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Astral** **\- Ladybug and Cat Noir arrive to face the latest, and most nightmarish, akuma to terrorize Paris. During the fight Ladybug is struck by the akuma's unusual power. As a result, Marinette's astral spirit is banished from her body and into the Astral Plain, a plain of existence that allows her to see and hear what is going on but cannot interact with it or be seen by anyone. With Ladybug to purify the akuma, Adrien is forced to detain it as best he can and then get her to safety in his room before her transformation times out and Ladybug's identity is revealed for all to see. What follows is a series of revelations that neither Miraculous Holder could have seen coming and much more than either ever expected.  
**

* * *

 **Astral**

Ladybug and Cat Noir ran across the rooftops of Paris, using their weapons when needed for longer gaps, as they headed towards the square in front of the Louvre Museum where reports of the latest akuma to attack Paris had come from. It didn't take long for the superhero pair to reach the square or locate the distinctive akuma in the middle of it based on the screams of the people fleeing from it.

When Marinette saw the akuma for the first time, she had to do a double take at what she saw in front of her as it had not been what she was expecting from the few reports that they had received about Hawk Moth's latest victim. The akuma was floating a few inches off the ground, right at the base of the glass pyramid in the square. Whatever it was, it was a ghoulish, ghostly figure that reminded Marinette of the horror films she couldn't stand. Despite the akuma's distorted figure, Marinette could tell that whatever it was, it was almost certainly female.

The akuma was bent in an S shape wearing a brown, sleeveless, dress like garment the flowed down and covered it all the way past its feet. There was a glowing amulet around her neck that Marinette instantly keyed as the likeliest place to hold the evil butterfly.

The only parts of the akuma that were visible were her long skeletal arms ending in clawed hands tipped with long, vicious looking fingernails, and a gaunt, sunken face that could give the most avid horror fans nightmares, which meant that Marinette was almost certain to have plenty of nightmares about it herself. There was a sinister, evil, smile plastered across the akuma's face as she turned her sunken, hollowed out eyes to the face the heroes of Paris, its teeth a series of pointed fangs. The last thing Marinette noted as she and Cat Noir pulled up near it but outside of melee range was the long black hair that streamed down and over one of its shoulders and flowed all the way down to her ankles.

In terms of nightmarish akumas, this one was right up there with the very worst they had faced. Marinette couldn't suppress an involuntary shudder at the site of Hawk Moth's latest challenge to them. She hoped that whoever this akuma was would be one of the easier ones but somehow Marinette doubted that.

"What or who the fuck are you?" Cat Noir asked as soon as they were face to face with the akuma, asking the same question that Marinette was about to ask it but couldn't due to the fear she felt just looking at the akuma.

"I am Ikiryo, the living spirit here to haunt all those who have wronged and shunned me in Paris." The akuma said is a sinister feminine voice that sounded like nails on a chalk board and sent even more shivers down Marinette's spine. "I am here to take your miraculouses for Hawk Moth and to banish your spirits from this plain of existence to wander aimlessly, unable to interact with this world for all eternity so they can experience my pain of being ignored by all as if I was just a ghost. Vengeance shall be mine, no longer will people not notice who I am."

"Ok in terms of creepy and sinister akumas I think this one takes the cake for the creepiest and weirdest one that we have ever faced." Cat Noir said to her, just as Marinette noticed all the still bodies lying throughout the square.

The bodies looked to be asleep, but given their strange positions, it couldn't be a natural state of unconsciousness. This meant that whatever this akuma's power was, it had the ability to knock a person out without a problem and given a lack of a weapon on the akuma, Marinette had feeling that the akuma's power was touch based. It was something that they would have to figure out during the fight so that the knew how the akuma knocked out her victims and as such could try to stay away from whatever the attack was.

"Agreed." Marinette said to her fellow miraculous holder as she finally managed to suppress the involuntary fear she had had at seeing the akuma for the first time, an odd experience as she usually wasn't scared of Hawk Moth's creations but this one was something different.

"I say we avoid whatever it is that allows her to use her power and destroy the akumatized object, which I am assuming is that amulet that she is wearing." Marinette continued as she stared at the akuma with her usual level of confidence. "She may be freaky, but she's just an akuma. We know how to handle them."

"You read my mind, m'lady." Cat Noir said with an annoying wink that Marinette felt made light of the current situation. "You go high, I go low."

"Naturally." Marinette said with a nod as she began to spin her yo-yo as fast as possible in preparation for the attack.

"Come on then you pathetic wannabe heroes." Ikiryo cackled at them, clearly trying to taunt the pair into making a mistake. "I will easily defeat you and take your miraculouses for Hawk Moth and then I shall be free to wreak my revenge upon the city that ignored me."

Marinette just ignored this as she spun her yo-yo and threw it high into the air. There wasn't much for it to latch onto in the actual square, but the magical string had a large range, one that Marinette had never figured out the actual max distance of, and latched onto something on the roof of the Louvre. Yanking it as hard as she could and jumping as high as possible at the same time Marinette swung into the air and at Ikiryo. As she was doing this, Cat Noir was charging towards where they thought the akuma's feet were, his baton extending into a staff in the process.

Unfortunately, the akuma proved to me more versatile than the pair was expecting. She gracefully floated up and away from Cat Noir's staff while twisting her body out of the way of Marinette's legs just as Marinette tried to kick it. As Marinette passed by, the akuma took a swipe at her with its claws, a strange, ethereal, brown energy emanating from the fingertips as Marinette only just managed to twist and avoid the attack due to her enhance agility.

"What out for her claws Cat Noir!" Marinette shouted to her partners as she gracefully spun and flipped in the air while retracting her yo-yo and landing in a crouch on the other side of the akuma so that Ikiryo was between the pair. "I think her power is concentrated in her fingertips."

"How very observant Ladybug." Ikiryo snarled a sinister smile gracing her ghoulish face. "One scratch from my fingernails and your soul will be ripped from your body and cast into another plain of existence. Alas it is not permanent, you will only remain there as long as I have my power but seeing as I will defeat you two and provide Hawk Moth with your miraculouses, there will be none who can defeat me. That makes your inevitable fate permanent."

"Well my ghoulish opponent, you're not the only one here with claws and let me tell you, this kitty cat knows how to scratch better than you." Cat Noir said as he raised his right hand and activated his power. "Cataclysm!"

"Good idea Cat Noir, let's take this one down now as fast as possible, she's too dangerous otherwise." Marinette said as she threw her yo-yo directly up in the air and yelled her power's activation phrase. "Lucky Charm!"

The power activated and a second later and a pair of pliers in a ladybug print fell into her off hand. As usual Marinette had no idea what to do with her Luck Charm's tool.

"What am I supposed to do with a pair of damn pliers?" Marinette asked the universe as she activated her Lucky Charm vision and scanned the now black and white surroundings to see her best course of action.

This scan distracted Marinette for a split second but that was more than enough time to seal her fate. While Marinette was scanning the square, she didn't notice that the akuma in front of her had taken advantage of her momentary distraction and lunged for Marinette, claws extended and a victorious smile on her twisted face. Marinette only just had time to see the chain that locket was on and then Cat Noir's glowing right-hand light up with a ladybug print before the akuma was on her.

Marinette didn't have time to dodge the attack. As soon as the Ikiryo reached her, the akuma raked the glowing fingernails on her right hand across Marinette's chest. One moment Marinette was standing there a look of shock frozen on her face as the attack connected, the next she felt an incredible and sudden pain as her spirit was torn from her body. Before she could scream her eyes had closed and her body fell limply backwards and crashed onto the ground of the square right in front of Cat Noir and several terrified civilians and cops who had gathered to watch the battle unfold. Everyone had equal looks of shock on their faces at the sight of their fearless heroine being defeated right in front of their eyes.

* * *

"LADYBUG!" Adrien yelled as he watched helplessly as the love of his life was struck by the akuma and a second later fell backwards to lie on the ground in an unnatural state of unconsciousness. It was rare that Ladybug was ever struck by an akuma's power but for the fourth time she was on the receiving end of an akuma's power.

"Yes, I can feel your spirit leave your body." Ikiryo cackled with a note of malicious laughter in her voice. "It is a feeling I will always relish. Now I can take your miraculous for Hawk Moth before I take care of your pathetic partner."

"Not if I can help it bitch." Adrien shouted at the akuma as he ran at her. Adrien rarely gave into his emotions but watching Ladybug get defeated so easily put him in a rage that he gave himself to.

Ikiryo didn't even have a chance to grab Ladybug's earrings before Adrien's attack landed. Wielding his staff in his left hand he lashed out at the akuma with all of his enhanced strength. The metal staff easily caught the akuma in her skeletal side. Then he extended the staff even more and used it as a pivot, making sure that it was always in contact with Ikiryo's body, to slam the akuma bodily into the ground and using the staff to pin her there. Adrien's anger gave him the fuel he need to add to his heightened strength and allowing him to keep her pinned with his off hand.

As soon as the akuma was pinned, Adrien dropped to a knee and placed his right hand on the stones of the square. Controlling the destructive force of his cataclysm as best he could, which wasn't much but he could effect the general area of the power, Adrien created a hole large enough to contain the akuma and tight enough to hold her. Then Adrien flipped over the still stunned akuma, never letting up the pressure on her that pinned her to the ground, and rolled her over and into the hole so that she was lying on her hands. Once she was in the hole he stamped hard down on her back counting on her enhanced strength granted to all akumas to prevent her from getting too badly hurt. The stamp worked as it wedged her in the hole preventing any movement though she could still easily breath, proving it by twisting her head around 180 degrees and snarling at him. That sight freaked him out and managed to lessen Adrien's sudden burst of anger at the akuma.

"You may have trapped me in here Cat Noir but there is no way you are freeing your precious Ladybug in time to purify the akuma in my amulet." Ikiryo growled, her voice laced with venom and hatred towards him. "You haven't won, only bought yourself a little time as this hole won't hold me forever. You can't truly defeat me without Ladybug's power of creation and she is no longer on this plain of existence. Regardless of what you do I will either be back if you destroy my amulet or I will break free and hunt you down. You have lost."

"Silence, whatever the fuck are you are." Adrien snapped at the now manically laughing akuma as he used his staff and foot to hold her in place before raising his voice and looking towards the assembled police officers as his anger began to wane. "You haven't won yet. I will find a way to counter whatever you have done to incapacitate Ladybug and we will defeat you, we always do. Lieutenant Raincomprix!"

At Adrien's call, Sabrina's father and the officer in charge of the gathered police officers ran over to him as fast as he could which wasn't that fast given the man's girth. Adrien needed to ensure that the akuma stayed captured while he figured out what to do with Ladybug.

"Cat Noir, how can I help you?" The officer said to Adrien as he arrived and began to catch his breath.

"Lieutenant, I cannot destroy the akuma lest we fail to capture it and it spreads creating an army for this bitch when her emotions get negative again, but nor can I take it with me in case she can track it to my location." Adrien said quickly as he could just as he heard the telltale beep from Ladybug's earrings signaling she had minutes left before her transformation timed out. "I really need to try and help Ladybug, but I promise we will be back and end this akuma as soon as I have figured out how to wake her, you have my word. Can you keep the akuma contained for a while?"

"Of course, we can Cat Noir." The cop said standing to attention and saluting the teen hero before making a motion with his hand to get his fellow officers to come over. "You can trust us to ensure this akuma is contained and not a threat to anyone."

"Good luck trying." Ikiryo threatened. "I will break free in time, you have merely slowed me down. I cannot and will not be stopped."

"Good and make sure her hands are not free as that is where her power comes from." Adrien said ignoring the captured akuma just as he heard his own miraculous beep signaling his own impending transformation back to his civilian self. "I have to go, I promise I will be back with a fully conscious Ladybug."

"I know you will." Lieutenant Roger said with a nod as he took over the job of keeping the akuma restrained using his SWAT team's shields to hold the akuma in place. Adrien hoped that it would be enough.

Adrien didn't bother to reply to the Lieutenant, he just ran over to Ladybug's fallen body and gently picked her up in his arms. Throwing her over his shoulder as gently as possible and grabbing the pliers for good measure, sticking them in his belt, Adrien activated his staff. Using it to vault as fast as possible across Paris, Adrien had no idea what he was going to do with Ladybug, but he had to get her to the one place he knew would be safe; his room.

Going as fast as he dared with his precious cargo, Adrien sped across Paris to his house which was fortunately near enough to make before either of their miraculouses timed out and revealed their identity to anyone who might be looking, though few were looking anywhere but at the akuma during an attack.

Still it was a close call. Adrien just managed to get himself and Ladybug into his room, lay her down on his bed and cover her up before the final beep. The covering was from her feet to her neck as well as her from her eyes up, including her hair, so that he couldn't even figure out who she was from her clothes when the inevitable happened, he had to protect her identity at all costs after all. As Adrien was doing this his own transformation fell but he didn't care, he had preserved his lady's identity and now he had to figure out how to get her back from wherever she had been sent by Ikiryo's attack.

"Where are you m'lady?"

* * *

As soon as Ikiryo's claws had struck Marinette she had felt an instantaneous pain unlike any that she had ever felt in her life. It felt as if she was somehow being ripped away from her own body at the point where the akuma's fingertips had made contact. Of course, that was exactly what had happened to her.

On second Marinette had been standing the square trying to figure out what to do with the Lucky Charm item her power had given her, the next she was looking down at her own body, still garbed in her Ladybug outfit, as she floated a few feet off the ground. She could see similar spirit like projections of people who had felt Ikiryo's touch floating near their bodies, but none of them seemed to notice anyone else, they just floated there staring blankly at their bodies.

All this freaked Marinette the fuck out. While Cat Noir was containing the akuma, Marinette was having a minor panic attack as she took stock of her surroundings. She was still there in the square, at least she felt like she was, however instead of standing tall and proud as Ladybug, she was instead hovering in her civilian clothes. When she looked down at her own hands Marinette realized that they were translucent as if she was a ghost or a spirit.

"Cat Noir!" Marinette yelled, her voice tinged with the panic she currently felt, as she saw he partner subdue but not defeat the akuma. "I'm here, destroy it and I should be able to return to my body and purify the akuma in time."

She could hear what Cat Noir was saying to the akuma and what the akuma was gloating in return but as she called to him again Marinette realized that he couldn't hear her. Still at least he had caught the akuma, so he would figure out how to help her while she was trapped in the thralls of Ikiryo's power.

Marinette could do nothing but watch and listen to Cat Noir's exchange with Sabrina's father. Then she heard the telltale beeping of her miraculous and knew that she would transform back to her civilian form right here. Regardless of all the other shit that had happened today, Marinette's secret was about to be revealed in the heart of Paris.

That added another fear to her rapidly growing list of fears, at least until Cat Noir finished his conversation with Lieutenant Roger and after walking through her, picked up her body before he began to traverse Paris with it as fast as possible. What surprised Marinette was that instead of being left in the square, as soon as Cat Noir had picked up her body her spirit self was dragged along with her body as if she couldn't be a certain distance from it. It appeared to her that her body was an anchor of some sort for whatever state she was currently in, which at least showed a limit to Ikiryo's power.

As Cat Noir carried her to wherever he was going, Marinette knew that she had minutes before she transformed back into her civilian self. That was why she was not paying attention to where they were going until Cat Noir had vaulted over the outer wall of the Agreste Mansion and then through Adrien's window.

As Cat Noir gently laid her down on Adrien's bed and covered all of her up from head to toe except for her mouth and nose, clearly an act designed preserve her identity that Marinette appreciated as he could have easily left her and found out who she was, Marinette just stared around in confusion. Why had Cat Noir taken her here?

The answer to that question came seconds after her body was covered and Cat Noir's transformation timed out, sending his kwami shooting off and into the back of his sofa, to reveal Adrien Agreste standing there with a look of worry on his face that she had never seen before. Marinette's mouth fell open at the realization that the love of her life was Cat Noir, she was so shocked that she almost missed what the model said next.

"Where are you m'lady?"

There was nothing but love and concern in Adrien's voice and it was all for her. Marinette knew at once that he loved her as much as she did him, well Adrien at least loved Ladybug as much as she loved him but now that Marinette knew that Adrien was Cat Noir, she knew that it meant that she loved Cat Noir as well. Instantly she reached out to him, her hand passing through his cheek causing no reaction from him and spoke softly back to him.

"I'm still here my love." Marinette said gently and with all the love she had for him.

When Adrien gave no sign of acknowledging her presence, only looking over to her body as her own miraculous timed out, Marinette realized that she really was not able to contact him. She thought earlier that he may have been to distracted by the akuma to listen to her, but it seemed that her situation was much worse than she had initially realized.

Marinette's eyes widened at that realization just as something Ikiryo had said to Cat Noir finally began to resonate with her, overriding what she had just learned about who Cat Noir was and all that it entailed. As the words came unbidden into Marinette's mind, she realized just how fucked she was.

" _You can't truly defeat me without Ladybug's power of creation and she is no longer on this plain of existence."_

At those words, the truth of Marinette's predicament finally set in. She was on another plain of existence. Given the fact that she was still able to see what was going on, and Hawk Moth's habit of not creating akumas who could actually kill people with a touch, Marinette had a feeling that she was in some sort of limbo between life and death. Her body was still in the realm of the living, just in an unnatural state of unconsciousness, while her spirit or perhaps her soul she wasn't quite sure on that part, was trapped in this strange form. It was as if she was stuck in a halfway like plain of existence where she could see all that was going on and unable to do anything about that. She could watch but she couldn't touch or be heard and that terrified her.

"I'm not connected to the real world anymore am I?" Marinette whispered to herself. "I'm not dead, at least I don't think I am, but I am clearly not able to interact with Adrien. I must be somewhere else but where the fuck am I."

"You are right about where you are Marinette." A soft, male, voice speaking in American accented French said from behind here causing her to somehow jump a foot in the air despite her floating form. "Your spirit and consciousness are no longer in the plain of the living. You have entered what is known as the Astral Plain."

* * *

Mere seconds after Adrien was done protecting Ladybug's identity and had let his own transformation fall, the inevitable happened. Ladybug's miraculous timed out and a pink blur shot out of one of the earrings and slammed headfirst into a wall with a distinctive crash and a feminine yelp of pain.

At the sound of the yelp Adrien looked up to see a small, pink, kwami stuck head first into the wall near his bed. Adrien knew at once that the kwami had to be Ladybug's and quickly went over to it to free it, making sure not to give into temptation and remove Ladybug's covering and see who she was. As much as Adrien wanted to know the identity of the girl he loved, she wasn't ready to share it with him and as such he would not go against her wished. However Plagg beat him to the other kwami, zooming over to it as fast as possible from wherever he had ended up when Adrien's transformation had fallen.

"Right now I really wish that kwamis could appear in photos." Plagg said as he burst into laughter at the sight of the stuck kwami. It took him a few seconds bent double laughing before the Black Cat Kwami recovered enough to continue his statement. "But not even the Guardian of Technology has created a camera capable of capturing me in all my glory. This is so priceless. Normally it's me who gets stuck, not you Tikki."

All that came from the other kwami was an annoyed and muffled sound and what Adrien was pretty sure was a string of very impressive swear words. Adrien was pretty sure that it, she if he had to guess the kwami's gender, was colorfully telling Plagg off but he couldn't hear her words because of her predicament. Brushing his still laughing kwami off to the side, Adrien went over to the other kwami and as gently as possible pulled her out of his wall. He would figure out what to do about the hole she had made in his wall later.

"Thank you, Adrien." The kwami said kindly in a female voice confirming Adrien's suspicions. He also wasn't surprised that she knew who he was as she had seen him unmasked during the Dark Owl incident. "As Plagg said, I am Tikki and as you can tell I am Ladybug's kwami." Then she turned to Plagg and narrowed her eyes at the amused kwami before continuing. "Plagg, if you are done with your amusement at what happened to me, we have bigger problems to deal with right now. Mainly what are we going to do about my human and how are we going to get her back."

"I'm sorry, I know your human is in a predicament, it's just hilarious as it's usually my human who gets into problems, not yours." Plagg said with a chuckle that died at the withering look Tikki continued to give him. Adrien would have to figure out how to do that, it seemed an effective way of shutting Plagg up.

"Good." Tikki said once Plagg shut up before turning back to Adrien. "By the way, I appreciate the effort you have made to preserve Ladybug's identity. You probably didn't have to do that given the situation, but I know that if she could see it, she would appreciate it."

"Thanks." Adrien said with a small smile at the compliment before his face went serious. "However, as you pointed out, this is a more pressing problem. So, do you have any idea what has happened to Ladybug and is there anything we can do to wake her up without breaking the akuma's amulet?"

"I don't think that Ladybug is actually asleep." Tikki said after thinking on the questions for a moment. "It would be more accurate to say that she is in a coma or forced unconsciousness as she is not naturally asleep, and I am pretty sure that she isn't actually in her body."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked confusion at Tikki's answer.

"I'm not sure." Tikki admitted as she scrunched up her face in thought at what had happened to her human. "When that akuma touched Ladybug, I felt her spirit getting ripped from her body. Her soul is still in there and as such she is still tied to the world of the living but her spirit, her consciousness so to speak, is no longer on this plain of existence, or at least if it is, she can't be reached by us. I'm honestly not sure what happened to her."

"Fuck!" Plagg suddenly swore causing both Adrien and Tikki to look at him in confusion.

"What Plagg?" Adrien asked looking at his kwami. "Do you know what has happened to Ladybug?"

"I have a theory about what might have happened, but I need to know something first." Plagg said a concern in his voice that Adrien hadn't heard before. "What was that akuma's name, I don't really pay attention when we are bonded, I just focus on the ass kicking and destruction."

"Ikiryo." Adrien replied, there was no way he was going to forget the name of the akuma who had so easily incapacitated Ladybug.

"Fuck!" Plagg swore again. "That effectively confirms my theory."

"And what theory is that?" Tikki asked, she was clearly trying to get Plagg to spill his theory as soon as possible. "Stop beating about the bush Plagg and explain to us what you mean."

"Ikiryo, if I recall correctly, is a Japanese term for the spirit of a living person who haunts others, sometimes at a great distance." Plagg began. "As my nature and miraculous is that of destruction I am well versed within its realm and that includes death, ghosts, spirits and the underworlds. That being said, I am not very familiar with the living spirits but I know of the principle at least. It would appear that once again Nooroo has forgotten the extent of his own powers and tapped into forces he doesn't fully understand and probably shouldn't grant to mortals."

"Nooroo? That's Hawk Moth's kwami right?" Adrien asked. All this was confusing but if Adrien was understanding his kwami correctly then it meant that Ladybug's predicament was worse than he had expected.

"Correct, though he is more Hawk Moth's slave than anything else." Tikki said with a touch of sadness in her voice at the current situation of one of her fellow kwamis. "His power is that he can grant a specific power to another person and in theory create superheroes loyal to his bonded human with an augmented sense of justice. That is provided that they show strong, noble emotions but as Hawk Moth proved that can work in the inverse as well, hence the evil super villains you keep facing. As a result, Nooroo's power has a wide range of abilities he can create, but when forced to use it he has no control over where he draws abilities from as he must acquiesce to the wishes of his master. Therefore, at times he messes with divine fields of power that he shouldn't and that is potentially very dangerous as they are powers humans should not wield. He did so during the Pharaoh akuma attack and he appears to have done so here as well according to Plagg."

"But what has he done?" Adrien asked confused. He knew little about Hawk Moth's power and this just added confusion to his already limited understanding of their enemy's abilities.

"If my theory is correct then Nooroo has tapped into a power he would never mess with unless he was forced to do so." Plagg said with a sigh. "But based of the akuma's name, the brief glimpse of her appearance I got of her through Adrien's eyes, and the description Tikki gave me is a lot of proof to confirm my theory."

"Plagg, just tell us what that theory is." Tikki said impatiently and Adrien couldn't blame her given the fact that Ladybug's spirit appeared to be on the line.

"If I am right then Nooroo has once again tapped into a divine power but not godly divine, no something even stronger and potentially much more dangerous given who's power he has accessed." Plagg said so seriously that Adrien had to wonder where the real Plagg was. "No, Nooroo has tapped into the power of one of the Guardians of the Elements."

"He wouldn't" Tikki gasped in horror. "Even Nooroo knows that other than the Guardian of Magic who created the miraculouses, we should never interfere with their realm. By invoking the power of a Guardian that would disturb the balance of that particular element. Not even the Guardian's vows of noninterference would prevent that element's Guardian from getting involved."

"True but if forced to do so by someone who doesn't know about the Guardians and not to mess with them, Nooroo would do as commanded by his bonded human." Plagg said unhappily. "Though this only applies for specific abilities protected by the Guardian, the ability to freeze or flood Paris would encroach upon the Ice and Water Guardians respectively but don't count as violations, banishing someone's spirit from their body would however, the line is hard to tell for any who isn't a Guardian."

"How bad is this violation?" Tikki asked with worry in her voice.

"Fortunately not too bad I think." Plagg said as he contemplated Tikki's question. "I am certain I know which Guardian's power has been accessed and he is one of the more measured ones who would investigate before attacking those who violated his element. Also, based on the evidence I am pretty sure I know where Ladybug's spirit is."

"That's good about the Guardian as I know a few of them exhibit the unpredictable nature of their respective elements." Tikki said to Plagg as Adrien just looked on in confusion. Then her voice got heavy with concern as she asked Plagg a question. "Which Guardian are we talking about and where in my human?

"The Guardian who's element Nooroo has probably violated with this latest akuma is the Guardian of Ghosts, one of the underworld Guardians and a casual acquaintance of mine who is amused by my debaucherous nature." Plagg said to which Tikki's eyes widened in recognition. "As for where your human's spirit is, if her soul is still bound to this earth, which I am certain it is, then there is only one logical place for her spirit to be; the Astral Plain."

* * *

Marinette slowly turned to see who was speaking to her in this odd world. While she had been panicking about her current predicament, she had still been vaguely paying attention to what Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg had been saying though the speaker had interrupted her as Plagg had been explaining his theory, one that the speaker's statement confirmed.

The man who was slowly walking towards her, despite being a few inches of the ground like she was, struck her as a distinctly average, fair skinned, translucent, man. He looked to be in his late 20s, maybe early 30s, and stood around 6 feet tall. He had close cropped dark brown hair with matching scruff as if he hadn't shaved in a few days and matching eyes that appeared to have seen way too much for a man of his apparent age.

Then Marinette noted his outfit, something her always well-trained fashion eye always evaluated though never in the mean way Chloe would. The man was dressed in a simple pale green t-shirt that seemed to glow with an ethereal light that Marinette usually associated with ghosts, dark blue jeans, and black boots. Strapped to his right thigh was a simple straight dagger with a handle that seemed to be made a green, translucent material. Hanging on the left side of his waist was a strange metallic, cylindrical device that looked vaguely familiar to Marinette, but she couldn't quite place it. Despite the weapons, his hands were raised and empty in a non threatening gesture.

That was when Marinette noticed the strange tattoo on the man's right forearm. It was written in English, but Marinette was at least proficient in the language so she could easily read it and translate it into the French equivalent. The tattoo said PHANTOM 27, written in the same glowing ethereal green light that was on his shirt. In fact, the man seemed to glow slightly with the light, in addition to his translucent appearance, all of which struck Marinette as odd. She had no idea who this man was but she had a gut feeling that he was important somehow.

"The Astral Plain?" Marinette asked confused at the statement. "What's that?"

"That is where you are right now." The man said with a smile, an answer that annoyed Marinette and it showed on her face so the man continued. "But I presume I should explain a little more, shouldn't I Marinette."

"Yeah there is a lot that you are going to have explain, er, Mr. Phantom?" Marinette said taking a stab at the man's name.

"Just Phantom will do." Phantom said as he stopped walking and lowered his hands, all the while staying a few feet from Marinette. "I am not human so there is no need to use a title for me."

"Alright that's another thing to add to the list of things to ask you." Marinette said still confused by whoever this Phantom person was and why he was even here and talking to her. "But let's start with how the hell you know who I am."

"Interesting choice of word." Phantom said with a small chuckle. "Seeing as I technically live in what a mortal would call Hell, though it would be more accurate to call it the afterlife, but I will forgive you the unintended pun."

"Please just stay on topic." Marinette said as a headache began to take hold from what this person was telling her and she was not in any mood to hear about puns.

"I shall try." Phantom said with a kind smile. "I know that this is often a hard thing for mortals to accept but your connection to the Ladybug Miraculous will ensure that you remember this conversation. As to how I know, I am one of the Guardians of the Elements, the same organization who helped create your miraculous and tie the kwamis to the earth in a physical form. I am also immortal being with certain powers that allowed me to find out who wielded your miraculous but that was more due to my association with Plagg than anything else. As such I am fully aware who you are, Marinette, and that you are the current iteration of Ladybug. Do not fear, I am bound to silence by oaths stronger than any you could even begin to comprehend."

"Guardians?" Marinette asked as she tried to understand what was being told to her. "I just heard Plagg, Adrien's kwami though you already seem to know that, mention that term. What are they and more specifically what are you?"

"I was hoping that the Guardians would stay a secret from you and Adrien during your duration as Miraculous holders but alas Nooroo has tapped into my power in a way that I cannot ignore and as such has forced my hand." Phantom said with a sigh. "But I cannot blame him for being forced by the will of his master. Hawk Moth on the other hand, well let's just say that there is a long line of underworld deities who want a crack at him when he dies and I am nowhere near the top of that list. As for who I am, that is a little bit of a story."

"I presume that I have the time to listen." Marinette said still a little confused at what was going on and wanting answers to the situation. "Or is there no time to give me them cos I am a little pressed for time."

At her words Phantom just waved his right hand through the air and Marinette suddenly felt that the air around her thicken. When she looked at the room around her, the kwamis and Adrien were still talking but she realized that while they were still talking and moving, they appeared to be doing so in slow motion. It was an odd sight though the sound of their words was even weirder and she had to tune them out to focus on her own conversation.

"Er, what have you done?" Marinette asked as she started to realize that whoever this person was, he was as he claimed not human given the abilities he had just displayed.

"I may not be the Guardian of Time but so long as we are within a plain of existence that is under my direct control I am able to manipulate time to some extent though nowhere near as well as the Guardian of Time could do so." Phantom said as if it was nothing. "What I have done is sped up time in the Astral Plain so that we can go over all you want to know before I visit Adrien and the kwamis to explain what they need to do to correct Nooroo's abuse of my power. I have a feeling Plagg will try to call me and I do enjoy preempting him whenever I can. However as you are trapped within a plain of existence under my protection and control I believe that you deserve answers as to what is going on and how to rectify it first. So, where do you want me to begin?"

"Why not just start at the beginning with who or what the fuck are the Guardians." Marinette said as she turned her full attention to the being in front of her, the Guardian as he claimed to be. "Then progress until now and whether or not there is a way to help me. We will get distracted, that's just who I am, but so long as we keep it vaguely chronological I should be able to follow along."

"Oh, there is a way to help you, though not one I am particularly happy with existing but there is a way." Phantom said with a slightly annoyed frown. "But we will get to that in time. I agree that it would be best to start at the beginning and work our way through what I deem you need to know until we reach this point. As such, I will give you a very basic overview of my order, though we do not have enough time to go into the full details of our history, as well as my own connections to it as that is prudent to this plain of existence. I only ask that you try to limit your interrupt me so as to minimize tangents. What I am about to tell you are things that you will find hard to believe but are true and your kwami can confirm my words later."

"That's fine, I am pressed for time so I will do my best to just listen and only interrupt when I need clarification on something." Marinette said intrigued at what strange thing she was about to be told.

"That you are for even here I cannot accelerate time for an extended period." Phantom said with a nod. "So, in order to tell you the origins of the Guardians, I must take you back to the creation of the world as you know it. The Guardians of the Elements, or more specifically the Master Guardian, were created moments after the world was created by the entity known as Chaos eons ago. Shortly after Gaia and Ouranos became the earth and the sky, or other deities did depending on the pantheon as they are all basically the same thing to some extent, Chaos created the first Guardian. As mentioned this being is known as the Master Guardian, as well effectively the Guardian of Chaos as it is the only element he will never relinquish but also never uses, was charged with protecting the elements of the new world by Chaos itself. To aid the Master Guardian, Chaos created 4 more Guardians from the first four primordial elements found within the new earth and sky. These four elements, in order they are Light, Fire, Thunder, and Water, make up the original Guardians, along with the Master Guardian. They are the most powerful Guardians and the only ones whose power cannot be stripped from them by the Master Guardian as they are pure representations of their respective element and not someone who has been made an Elemental Guardian."

"Alright one sec." Marinette said as her head began to hurt at what was being told to her. "Stripped? I am assuming by your number that there are more Guardians than the original 5 you have mentioned, but I am a little confused. I will accept what you are saying pending Tikki's confirmation to avoid taking too much time here, but I am getting a little confused."

"I understand, this is a lot to take in in a short amount of time but Tikki will confirm all of this." Phantom said with a sympathetic smile. "I was once in your shoes over 3,400 years ago when I was first introduced to the Guardians by my mother but that was a different time so it was easier for me to accept it. Anyway, when Chaos created the Master Guardian, and effectively Tikki's creator as well as her essence was created at the same time though it would be many millennia before a being had the power to grant her and Plagg a corporeal form, Chaos knew that the world that had been created would inevitably evolve beyond what had been made. As such he granted the Master Guardian the power to confirm upon any being who was not already a God, be that person an illegitimate divine child such as myself, a half-blood child of a god and a mortal, or a regular mortal, the status of Guardianship of an element that did not have a Guardian. Inversely, the Master Guardian can remove a Guardian's power and status should that Guardian betray the order. The Master Guardian has full discretion on what constitutes and element, solidifying the status of an element when it is given a Guardian."

"Wait by God you mean the mythical gods' like Zeus and all those people?" Marinette asked.

"Yes, like those people." Phantom said with an amused smile.

"Oh ok." Marinette said. "I guess if magic is real then they could be as well."

"Oh they are very much real, though many of the more obscure ones have faded as civilization has forgotten them." Phantom said with a nod. "It is good to see that you are not too surprised at this sudden revelation."

"Trust me, after the shit I have seen over the last few years, this seems normal and explains a fair bit, especially regarding what happened during the Pharaoh incident." Marinette said bluntly to which Phantom just chuckled. "But please continue, though I will want to know your parentage at some point as it is interesting if true."

"Ah there is something to be said for being exposed to the miraculouses all that comes with those powerful objects." Phantom said with a smile. "It does help you believe the unbelievable and when it comes to my own story you will learn about my parents. Anyway, as I was saying, Chaos gave the Master Guardian, with the consent of the other original Guardians, the power to grant Guardianship of an element of his choice onto another so long as that element didn't already have a Guardian. The first two new Guardians were Earth and Air following the destruction of Ouranos by Gaia and the rise of the Titans as it was seen that those two elements were now in need of Guardians. From that point on the Guardians have expanded sporadically over the millennia at the whims of the Master Guardian until I ascended then we were forced to become a myth to the world of myths by a prophesy until it was satisfied. That prophecy was satisfied a few years back. Since then we have added 6 new Guardians, the 2 that were prophesied and 4 who had been waiting over 2,000 years to ascend to our ranks as their time was long overdue. In total there are currently 32 Guardians though 33 people have held the title."

"So, the various expansions over time are sort of like how the number of kwamis have grown in number over time as well." Marinette said as she digested Phantom's words and tried to compare them to something she already understood. "Master Fu explained a bit of that too me a while back."

"An apt comparison seeing as the expansion of the kwamis and their miraculouses was modeled after the process of expanding the Guardians." Phantom said clearly pleased that Marinette was understanding what he was telling her. "The miraculouses are creations of the Guardian of Magic when he is harnessing their power, though how I do not know but yes that is a good comparison. Just as with the kwamis, over time when one of the followers of the Guardians, something that would take a little too much time for the current situation to go into, proves that he or she deserves to be elevated to the ranks of the Guardians, and receives at least 75% of current Guardians supporting that elevation, the Master Guardian will grant that person the Guardianship of an element. There is more to the process but that gives you the general overview."

"Alright, I kind of get it but I am sure that Tikki will explain more later." Marinette said thinking about what had been told her. "Now can you explain why there has been 33 Guardians but only 32 current. I presume this has something to do with what you talked about earlier regarding the stripping of someone's Guardianship. Then you can explain more about yourself and how you can help me as I presume that I am within your element or else why would you be here at this moment."

"You are well within the element I and a Guardian of." Phantom said with a nod. "And all of this, the plain you are currently in, the stripping of a Guardians power and my own history, is all connected to each other. This is because the Guardian who was stripped of her power for betraying us was my predecessor, the first Guardian of Ghosts so my own story is somewhat tied to hers as I am her successor to the Guardianship of Ghosts. As such, whether or not you had asked, I would have had to tell you about my half sister and her crimes against the Guardians in order to explain who I am and where you are for she is the creator of the Astral Plain that you find yourself in right now."

"Wait! Before you explain more, how are Ghosts an element?" Marinette asked confused at the element that Phantom was apparently the Guardian of. "I get the original ones as they are natural occurrences and likely there are others that would make sense, but Ghosts just sounds like a strange choice for an element."

"My element is arguably one of the oddest and loosest defined of all of them, I will concede that." Phantom said with a small sigh. "I am used to trying to explain it to people who I meet, even those who know of the Guardians to begin with. The official title of Ghosts is a misnomer I guess as it would be more accurate to say that I am the Guardian of the dead. As the Guardian of Ghosts, all spirits who have passed on from the mortal realm are classified as being under my protection as their Guardian. This is not just the underworlds but other creations such as the Ghost Zone, the Spirit World, the Astral Plain, and ghostly imprints of the dead that still walk this earth though those are limited to certain locations. Basically anything that is inhabited by spirits and other non-living beings falls withing my element. The Master Guardian justified the assignment back when he made the first Guardian of Ghosts by classifying the undead as an element as he believed that they well within purpose of the Guardians."

"Purpose?" Marinette asked. The rest sort of made sense to her even if she wouldn't have classified ghosts or spirits as an element. "You haven't told me that your order has a purpose, just how they were created."

"It harkens back to the reason why Chaos created the original Guardians to begin with." Phantom said with a slightly embarrassed look at leaving the information out from his earlier explanation. "Chaos's intentions for the Guardians, and what the Master Guardian ensures happens, is that we guard the world from excess. We are the last line of defense between anarchy and stability. We keep the balance of the world. Our mission is to always protect the elements of the world and to ensure that none become abused and threaten the safety of humanity by guarding our assigned element with the immense power the Master Guardian has granted us to do so. Within my element, none can challenge me though another Guardian can easily best me in a fight should his or hers element be better suited to the situation. My main role in all of this is to be the line that holds the dead back from invading the realm of the living for there are many more dead than living souls, such being the nature of mortality. Now I am not perfect, none of us are, but I have done pretty well over my life. That is how ghosts have been deemed an element. Of course I have evolved the element in ways only a Guardian can but that is far to complicated to get into right now."

"Alright I think it is best to just go with it at this point." Marinette said deciding to get Tikki's take on it when she had the time.

"A good idea, I have long since stopped questioning the logic of the Master Guardian." Phantom said with a nod of agreement. "Some of his choices, especially the man-made elements like Technology, Glass, Plastic, and Alcohol, along with the more obscure natural ones such as Salt, Acid, and Oil and the more odd, new ones, like Fashion, Culture and Pain make no sense to me either. However he knows what he is doing and has never lead the order wrong in his tenure so it is best to just go with it at times. He's open to having his mind changed and being told he's wrong but when it comes down to his choice of what to make an element by giving it a Guardian we learned a long time ago to just let him decide and see how it plays out. After all, only once has be ever entrusted the power of a Guardian to someone who proved she didn't deserve it."

"Please just get back to your own story and that of your predecessor." Marinette groaned as another headache began to form at the latest development to stem from a tangent.

"That is probably for the best." Phantom agreed with an apologetic look on his face. "Very well, I shall start with my predecessor, the first Guardian of Ghosts. She was born as the illegitimate immortal daughter of Melinoe, the Greek Goddess of Ghosts among other things and Thanatos, the Greek God of Death. Don't ask how or why that happened, no one knows the answer to that. Because she was illegitimate immortal born at a time when most if not everything had a god or goddess of it, she was not allowed to become a Goddess under Zeus's laws, though I think Hera had more to say on that law than Zeus. In order to protect her from Zeus's wrath, she, and all other illegitimate immortals who were born prior to or after her, was handed over to the Guardians to be trained by our order and possibly become one of the select few to achieve the rank of Guardian. This was about 8,000 years or so ago I think but I'm not great with times as the Greek Gods have been around for a long ass time. Anyways, as an illegitimate immortal child, she was acceptance into the followers of the Guardians to be trained by us. At that time there was only 11 Guardians I believe. Over the next 1,000-2,000 years, I'm not sure how long she spent in service to the Guardians prior to ascension, she rose through the ranks and eventual reached the rank just below that of Guardian. By this point 4 more had ascended to the ranks of the Guardians."

"Is there something you have to do to ascend to the rank of the Guardians?" Marinette interrupted, her headache was lessening, replaced by intrigue at the story she was hearing.

"It's complicated to explain but sort of." Phantom answered thinking about the question posed to him. "Ascension usually requires a mixture of things; loyalty to the Guardians and service to us in some capacity, proof of ingenuity and/or bravery during one's life, and often an act that shows a connection to an element that has not been given a Guardian. Sometimes it is different like Time and Wisdom being forced upon us by a prophecy and as such have to prove themselves as Guardians, which they are doing now, while the other 4 new ones more for their long wait for ascension and were pretty much guaranteed it. Honestly after the longest gap in our history between the ascension of Guardians, I expect a rather large increase over the next millennia or so but that is just speculation, though Plagg has a bet on it with some of the other Guardians. Also, there are times when the creation or invention of a material such as plastic, metal, glass, and alcohol for example are so revolutionary that their creators are granted Guardianship over them. Those are the beings who ascended because they were the first mortals to successfully figure out how to create their element. There are things that have been created by mortals over the last 2 and a half millennia that don't have Guardians, their creators were unable to be elevated due to the aforementioned prophecy but their creators have been rewarded in other ways."

"Huh ok that sort of makes sense." Marinette said as she digested the process Phantom described. "Sort of how kwamis are tied to new developments in humanity."

"I guess, I am not well versed in kwami lore as that is within the jurisdiction of the Guardian of Magic." Phantom admitted. "Most of my interactions with them involve watching Plagg doing something unbelievably stupid."

"Oh ok." Marinette said before bringing them back on topic yet again. "So how did your predecessor ascend to the ranks of the Guardians?"

"She created the plain of existence we are in right now, that was why the name she took upon being made a Guardian roughly translates into Astral or Spirit in English from Ancient Greek." Phantom said, smiling at Marinette's open-mouthed expression. "Yes, she managed to create a plain where the spirits of the living, their astral spirit as it has become known as, could go but more on that in a bit when I explain how to leave this charming place of purgatory between life and death."

"I would like to know now but I have a feeling you won't tell me just yet." Marinette said with a hint of annoyance.

"No, I must explain this first so that when this is over you are not so lost as to what has happened." Phantom said. "Best to be informed in case this or something similar happens again."

"Very well, I presume next you will tell me how she lost her Guardianship." Marinette huffed. This was all interesting, but she did have an akuma to defeat.

"Patience, it is a virtue that will serve you well in the battles to come." Phantom said with a slight shake of his head. "Though sometime I forget how little patience mortals have these days. Yes, I shall tell you how she lost her status as a Guardian. As I mentioned earlier, there is only one way for that to happen, betray the Guardians."

"She betrayed you?" Marinette asked surprised, it seemed an odd thing to happen to immortal beings. "How is that even possible for a group sworn to guard their respective elements?"

"She did." Phantom said with a dark look on his face for a moment. "Treason can occur no matter what the group is and the Guardians of the Elements was no less immune to it than anyone else, we found that out the hard way. To date she is the only Guardian to have betrayed her oaths to us and tried to overthrow the Master Guardian. For her crimes she has become known as the Fallen Guardian because she fell from the path that we Guardians must walk and turned to evil. We are neither good nor evil but we are always neutral and she betrayed that neutrality."

"Why did she betray?" Marinette asked interested in the history she was learning despite the time crunch.

"Why indeed." Phantom said with a shake of his head. "We honestly do not know why she betrayed us other than that she did. The prevailing theory is that our enemies, and yes the Guardians do have immortal enemies that have been in hiding for almost 2,000 years, swayed her to their side in an attempt to defeat us from within. However, neither she nor her supporters from within the followers of the Guardians who joined her in her betrayal, have ever said why they all betrayed the Guardians. The only thing she has ever said about her betrayal was why she initiated what is now known as the Guardian Schism. She believed, and still does, that it was time for the Guardians to rule and not observe and guard. She believes we are the ultimate power and should be in charge so that our duties are maximized but the Master Guardian and the other originals know that Chaos never wanted us to mess with the free will of the world."

"She's still alive?" Marinette asked in amazement. "Surely you would have ended her. Isn't that what used to happen in those days."

"I wish but while ascension to Guardianship conveys immortality on those who do not already have it, our followers are also immortal but they can be killed in battle, she was already immortal before her betrayal because of her parents." Phantom said with a sigh. "And the Master Guardian does not have the power to strip a godly child of their immortality, only their Guardianship and the powers associated with it if they are a Guardian. When that happens the powers of that element return to the Master Guardian until they are granted to a new Guardian of the now former element."

"So, what happened?" Marinette asked.

"Her betrayal occurred 3,000 years ago, at a time when there were 24 Guardians, 23 after her betrayal." Phantom said clearly remembering the incident like it was yesterday. "It was a sudden, unprovoked, sneak attack by her and about 40% of our followers while our backs were turned to them. Their plan had been to wipe out our support system in one surprise attack, but it failed though many of my friends and fellow loyal followers died that day. After that they went into hiding north of Greece in what is nowadays Russia and holed up somewhere where the Guardians couldn't find them, not that we tried too hard as we had to recover from that surprise attack."

"What happened after their failed attack?" Marinette asked, now fully gripped by a story that if true existed in no known form.

"For the next 10 years a bloody civil war between us ensued." Phantom said. "The only known full scale war that the Guardians have ever engaged in. During that time, Astral, or Spirit depending on the translation, swelled her numbers with mercenaries, new followers and people we are certain are tied to our other enemies but couldn't prove. Eventually she felt like she had the forced to launch an all-out assault on our sacred place in the northern mountains of Greece. It was the bloody battle of the war. I fought as one of the many loyal followers having joined some 400 years prior though I had yet to reach the rank below Guardian. Our enemies were outmatched by our forces mainly because all the Guardians at the time fought by our side, bringing their incredible power to bear on those who had dared to attack us. However, the assault was a diversion to try and secure the Master Guardian and his item of power, his short sword given to him by Chaos as the vessel of his power and authority. If Astral had managed to grab that then she probably would have won."

"I assume she didn't win but did she confront her former boss?" Marinette asked hooked to the tale despite the time pressure.

"She failed spectacularly." Phantom said with a smirk. "Though she did managed to fight her way to the Master Guardian, well he ordered a clear path between her and him during the battle as he wanted to take her down personally. He had to make an example of the only person to ever betray his trust after all. When she reached him, Astral underestimated to power of the Master Guardian and was handily beaten, stabbed and thrown off a balcony in the brief fight between the pair. As an immortal she couldn't die despite her Guardianship being stripped as soon as she was defeated, but her wounds were severe enough to ensure that she was captured. With her defeat her followers scattered, we caught the last one of them 56 years ago though admittedly we didn't try too hard to capture them."

"And Astral, what became of her?" Marinette asked.

"We have a special prison for those who challenge the Guardians or who are so powerful, evil or tricky that the even the various Pantheons can't detain without aid or the underworlds do not wish to hold so we take their spirits into our prison." Phantom said. "It is located on a plain between dimensions that one of the Guardians created and is completely secure. Following Astral's arrest, the Master Guardian, with the consensus of all the other Guardians, sentenced her to life in solitary confinement within our prison. To this day she is still there. She will never be released from her cell. Occasionally one of us tries to get some info from her but she just hurls abuse and says she will be freed one day. That was 3,000 years ago so at this point I doubt she will ever see the light of day again."

"This is all a lot to take in but given all I have seen it seems like it could be true." Marinette said as she thought about the story. "So where do you come in? You said you were a follower during the battle so I assume your promotion was sometime after given that you are number 27 and there were 23 Guardians after her betrayal. Also seeing as you were given the same element as her I am going to assume that you have some connection to her and the underworlds you have spoken of that I am not sure I believe in just yet."

"You are very astute, I can see why you were chosen to be Ladybug." Phantom said with a note of appreciation in his voice. "I am in deed related to her and the underworld. She is my half-sister and I have as much of a connection to the undead as she does, though she was more tied to the actual ghosts and spirits than me. We have the same father, but my mother is Nyx, the primordial Goddess of Night. My mother is a goddess with a habit of producing illegitimate immortal children with other underworld deities that go on to become Guardians. At last count 5 of us are children of hers and all of us do not get along with her. But I digress. I was born some 500 years prior to the Guardian Schism and given to the Guardians as part of the standard practice of giving illegitimate immortal children to the Guardians. For over 1,000 years I served them faithfully as I rose through the ranks, including with distinction during the Guardian Civil War. I wanted to restore the honor of the underworld that Astral had destroyed with her treason and become the new Guardian of Ghosts. I saw it as my duty to reclaim it and make it into a respected element once more."

"I assume you managed that given the fact that you achieved your goal of becoming the Guardian of Ghosts" Marinette said with a smile.

"Of course." Phantom said with a light chuckle. "Once I reached the rank right below Guardian, I began to work on my greatest creation and what I hoped would ensure my elevation to Guardianship with the assignment of Ghosts as my element. What I planned on creating was a world for Spirits that was not part of our dimension to live in and enjoy, perhaps even to interact with humans at some point down the road. It took me a while, roughly 342 years, as it required powers I had limited access to but through my parents I had just enough to do it so long as I connected it to the underworld I was born it. However, 2,500 years ago I successfully achieved it. One of the results of the world I had created allowed the rest of the Guardians to create a parallel world to our own with more of their own influence in it than the one we currently inhabit but that is not relevant to you and your situation. As I expected, I was rewarded for my achievement by being made a Guardian and the Master Guardian decided based off my creation that it would be best for my element to be that of Ghosts. Unfortunately, due to a prophecy and a divine prophecy cannot be fought or ignored lest terrible shit happens, I was to be the last being to be made a Guardian until the prophecy was fulfilled as the prophesy was triggered by the replacement of the Fallen Guardian. This is all you need to know about us, Tikki and Plagg can explain more about anything else you would like to know regarding the Guardians of the Elements once you and Adrien have defeated the akuma who has access to part of my power."

"Well speaking of said akuma, can you tell me more about where I am now?" Marinette asked. As grateful as she was to learn what she had just learned, she did want to get out of here and back to the action as soon as possible.

"Yes, now that you know the powers at work here, the time is right to explain the Astral Plain to you." Phantom said with a nod. "Though as you have already gathered, this is a plain that is parallel to that of the living but only those who have the power to access it can see it unless one is already in the Astral Plain. As you noted, while you can see and hear what is going on in the realm of the living, you cannot interact with it just as it cannot interact with you while you are an incorporeal astral spirit."

"Why is that?" Marinette asked.

"The Astral Plain is for the spirits of the living." Phantom began as he slowly thought of what to say to her. "As such it is a shadow or lower layer of the living plain. Only the spirits of the living, the various deities of Ghosts, and the Guardians can access it though regular mortals can come here providing that they know how. However because it works with the spirit, an entity that is normally associated to the land of the dead, the living cannot see it. Bit of a juxtaposition but a lot of that sort of stuff happens in the circles I travel in."

"This place can be accessed normally?" Marinette asked with a hint of amazement. "I thought it was someplace that I was forced to be. Why would anyone chose to be here."

"The Astral Plain can be accessed by mortals, but it is not easy." Phantom replied. "Those who do use it for a variety or reasons, often to spy on others but also to come where they cannot be bothered by other people. There are 3 ways mortal can access it without divine intervention or powers; meditation, potion and drugs. The first takes years to master but is the safest path as the practitioner achieves full control of their astral spirit with the ability to return to their bodies at will. The second requires a certain set of skills few possess and those who drink the potion have a time limit in the Astral Plain that is the duration of the effects of the potion. The third is the most dangerous way as it involves a certain hallucinate drug that could kill your body and force your spirit to wander the Astral Plain for eternity as an unbound living spirit unable to crossover to the land of the dead, a living hell so to speak, or the practitioner could become addicted to the drugs that induce the astral projection of one's living spirit. Like with the potion the duration in the Astral Plain lasts only as long as the effects of the drug lasts."

"But I wasn't sent here by any of those methods." Marinette pointed out. "So what way did I get here?"

"Your spirit was, for lack of a better word, forcibly banished here against your will." Phantom said bluntly. "A few beings such as myself, all deities who represent spiritual beings like ghosts, their half-blood children, and apparently Nooroo, though in the kwami's case it is indirect, have this power. Normally those of us who can banish a human's spirit to this plain have full control and can decide when to return it to its living body. Because it is divine power, the restoration method used by the masters of meditation doesn't work and only a divine being with the power to affect the living spirit can restore you to your body."

"So, you can send me back?" Marinette asked hopefully. "You are the Guardian of Ghosts, surely if anyone has the power to return me to my body you do."

"If only it was that simple." Phantom said with a sigh as he shook his head. "Or else I would have done it already without the need for our lovely chat. No, I cannot do that for a few reasons, most importantly is the Guardians' vow on nonintervention unless absolutely necessary. If I break the vow there are unintended and unknown consequences similar to combining the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses and I do not want to challenge fate by breaking my vows."

"Nonintervention?" Marinette asked confused again. "You cannot mess with the real world?"

"No, we cannot." Phantom said. "It was the basis of the Guardian Civil War after all. Humans have free will and we must respect that. As such we are not allowed to intervene unless it is an emergency though the powers that prevent such an intervention are weakening and we should have more of a say going forward to influence events in a direction we want without directly affecting the mortal world. Besides, our power within our respective element that is, is too great and would tip the balance of life should we abuse it and that is against our order. I am sorry, but my oaths are binding, and I cannot directly help you. Of course, I can indirectly help you using a few known loopholes and technicalities, which is why I am here."

"Great so how can I get out of this situation?" Marinette asked as hope began to return to her.

"Because this is the act of an akuma invoking my power and not that of god or me directly there are two ways to escape from the Astral Plain." Phantom said. "The first is similar to how a god with the power to banish a spirit here must be the one to recall you and that can be achieved by defeating the akuma who banished you here."

"But there isn't enough time to purify it should that happen." Marinette pointed out. "And after the Stoneheart attack neither Cat Noir or I want to give Hawk Moth and one of his akumas an army to wield against us."

"True there wouldn't be time to successfully purify the akuma, especially now that you are in civilian form." Phantom agreed. "Which leaves you with the second option and the one I hate exists but due the need for balance in the world I cannot overcome despite my power, cheesy as the method is."

"And that is?" Marinette asked though she had a feeling what that method might be.

"True love's kiss." Phantom said with a distasteful look on his face as he confirmed her theory.

"That is pretty cheesy." Marinette agreed. "How is that even possible?"

"The Astral Plain exists between life and death." Phantom said. "As such certain powerful emotions can affect the spirit within it. You could, if you so choose, pass onto the next life but that is not an option to be taken likely nor one you would take based on what I have seen of you and Cat Noir. Love works in the other direction, that of returning you to the world of the living, because of all the positive, life based, emotion it is by far the strongest. Human love allows for motivation for both greatest good and greatest evil the world has ever known. However, above all else love is considered a fundamental factor of life and creation, an opposite to someone like me who is the Guardian of those who have died. I am considered a being of the underworld, one of 5 Guardians along with Darkness, Bones, Gems, and Pain, who inhabit this aspect of the cycle of life. As such I am a being associated with destruction. To counter me there must be a strong force like love, though love does not have a Guardian due to the Master Guardian's aversion to granting an emotion a Guardian and thus making it an element. It is really cheesy but unfortunately that is how it must work."

"I get it, love was how I cured Cat Noir, Adrien, of Dark Cupid's power." Marinette said with a nod. "I know it is cheesy, but it is also a very powerful emotion."

"Yes, and that only worked because you are both in love with one another." Phantom said, something that surprised Marinette. "Had Cat Noir not been Adrien Agreste then your kiss would not have worked. It only did so because you were in love with the boy behind the mask, regardless of his love for you despite not knowing who is behind your mask."

"Oh, I didn't realize that." Marinette said quietly as she thought of the gamble she had made during that akuma attack.

"It is a limit to the power of love, as all powers should have so that none become too powerful." Phantom said. "Such is the nature of balance. However, the power of love is real and as you are both in love with one another, well that is how you can be returned to your body. Of course, I would have to leave you and explain it to them. This is bordering on intervention but because Nooroo has abused my power at the orders of Hawk Moth I can do this much at least without causing damage to the balance of my element."

"I get that." Marinette said as she looked at the slow-motion Adrien in the living plain with all the love she had for him. She knew that he loved her just as much as she loved him, this was something she could do, and they would deal with the ramifications afterwards. "Very well Phantom, I agree to this. Please let them know and thank you for your aid and the information you have provided me during this challenging time in the Astral Plain. I doubt without your appearance I would have been able to stay sane while here."

"It has been a pleasure, Marinette." Phantom said with a gracious smile. "I rarely get this opportunity to interact with a hero in my official capacity but with certain changes I will get more opportunities. I believe they kwamis are explaining to Adrien how I can be of use to them, so I must go and make my appearance at just the right moment to freak them out, one of my many little pleasure. Until out paths cross again."

Marinette didn't have time to say anything as the Guardian of Ghosts faded into nothing in front of her. As soon as he was gone Marinette felt time slow back to normal, the air around her becoming what she was used too and not the thickness she had felt during the time she had spent in what was effectively super speed. Turning to watch Adrien and the kwamis, Marinette waited until she could return to her body, thinking about all that she had just learned.

* * *

"The Astral Plain?" Adrien asked confused. "What is that?"

"It is a shadow realm of existence between this world and the next." Plagg said in a false scholarly tine that did not suit him at all. "And by next, I mean the various lands of the dead. There is a lot more to go into, but I think that that can wait until after you have defeated the akuma. The short explanation of the Astral Plain is that it is where living spirits go, either via banishment as in the case of Ladybug's spirit, or those who know how to project their astral spirit into the Astral Plain."

"Yeah I think this is more pressing but once this is done you and I are going to have a long talk Plagg." Adrien said to which Plagg just nodded. "So, what do you propose we do?"

"This situation is beyond my talents as I deal in destruction not the realm of the ethereal." Plagg admitted. "Though at least I know a little bit about it, Tikki has no idea as she is associated with creation and as such life while I am associated with destruction and as such death. What I can say is that there really is no point in hiding Ladybug's identity. If my theory is correct and the akuma banished her spirit into the Astral Plain, she cannot move far from her unconscious body, so I am pretty sure that she has seen all of this. There is no doubt that she knows who you are now."

"Plagg, are you sure?" Tikki asked with a hint of concern. "She wasn't supposed to find out, though at least this way neither of us divulged the secret."

"I am." Plagg said with a firm nod. "Trust me, this shit is within my forte, I have been banished to the Astral Plain no less than 18 times in my life, most of those times by both iterations of the Guardian of Ghosts but also other deities for various reasons that I have often caused if I am being honest. If one more spiritual deity banishes me I get a free coffee at the underworld Starbucks next time I'm there, though I am running our of deities to banish my spirit to the Astral Plain."

"Ok well ignoring that part, I don't care that Ladybug knows who I am." Adrien said deciding it was best to not question Plagg's apparent experience with the Astral Plain. "I have been willing to tell her who I am for a while now. However I know that she doesn't want me to know until she is ready. Therefore, I will respect her wishes on this front regardless of whether or not she knows who I am."

"Ladybug would appreciate that, especially coming from you." Tikki said kindly. "She will trust you with her own secret when she gets back, of that I am sure. Speaking of getting her back; any ideas Plagg?"

"Only the power of an underworld deity whose jurisdiction falls within the realm of spirits can banish or recall a living spirit from the Astral Plain." Plagg said thoughtfully. "That includes the Guardian of Ghosts and any children of the various spiritual gods with the banishment power. How this works when the being who banished Ladybug's spirit did so because Nooroo tapped into the Guardian's power directly is beyond me however."

"Surely we could try to contact the Guardian of Ghosts and see if he can help us." Tikki suggested. "This does seem like the situation in which he may be able to at least advise us even if he is still bound by his vow of noninterference."

"We could do that." Plagg said with a hint of hesitation. "So far as I know I don't think I owe him anything, he usually comes for the show and not to make stupid bets with me, but I have lost track of all the immortal beings I am in debt with so I usually assume I owe an underworld deity something unless proven wrong. I don't know if he would help us though seeing as the Guardians aren't supposed to intervene in human affairs but it is worth a shot."

"Guardians?" Adrien asked. "You mentioned them earlier, but I have no idea who they are or this Guardian of Ghosts in particular. Who or what is he?"

"He would be standing right behind you." A voice in American accented French said behind Adrien causing him to jump and turn to see a slightly translucent, slightly glowing, man in an ethereal green shirt and jeans standing behind him, his hands raised, palms out in a sign of peace that did not alleviate Adrien's threat assessment of the sudden apparition. "As for what I am, that can be explained by the kwamis later. For now, I am here to pass on the information you need and that is all."

Instantly and much to Adrien's surprise, Plagg and Tikki flew over to the man and bowed respectfully to him while still hovering in mid air. Adrien got the feeling that whoever this person was, he was a being of immense power.

"Phantom, Guardian of Ghosts, you humble us with your appearance." Both kwamis said in unison, their voices heavy with respect, a respect Adrien had never heard in his own kwami's voice before. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence."

"Plagg, Tikki, there is no need for formalities with me." Phantom said with a slight laugh that broke the reverence of the kwamis and the two small creatures visibly relaxed. "You two are both technically divine beings and as such do not need to pay respects to a Guardian unless they are one of the 5 original Guardians. Plus aren't you are both older than me by almost 1,500 years, not including the time you two spend not bound to this earth in a physical form. In my books that gives you two seniority over me."

"True but there has been a Guardian of Ghosts long before the creation of our miraculous." Tikki said as Adrien just followed the exchange in confusion. However, with the sudden appearance of this person he realized that there must be some truth to the kwamis words, even if both had a lot of explaining to do later.

"Yes, but she is a traitor that we seldom speak of." Phantom said with a hint of anger to his voice before he seemed to return to a passive neutral tone. "As for why I am here; you called me. I am here to tell you what you need to do to return Ladybug's spirit to her body as I just spoke with her and she agreed to the method. There is no need to be so nervous Plagg by the way, we can settle our debts later."

"Merde I do owe you don't I." Plagg said with a sigh.

"Plagg, you owe just about every underworld deity who hasn't faded yet." Phantom said. "I know one of them has the full comprehensive list of what you owe but I don't know who has it."

"Er, as interesting as this is, could you explain what I need to do to get Ladybug back?" Adrien said butting into the conversation. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know how long that akuma will be held for and I really need Ladybug back to purify the akuma."

"I understand the pressing situation and unlike other divinities I will not smite you for being rude, impatience is a trait that not only humans suffer from." Phantom said, and Adrien hoped he was joking though if he was Adrien couldn't tell. "I know of have a solution, one I can tell you only because Nooroo has tapped into my power to create that akuma. Otherwise you would have been stuck due to my inability to directly influence human affairs."

"I thought that Nooroo had accessed your power." Plagg said with triumph in his voice.

"Yes, he has, and Hawk Moth will pay for forcing Nooroo to do so, once my spot in the long line of beings with a bone to pick with that villain comes up." Phantom said with a slightly unnerving grin. "Anyway, Plagg you are very correct about Ladybug; her spirit is trapped in the Astral Plain and she can see all that is going on right now."

"As usual I am right, I know I am awesome." Plagg gloated causing everyone else to audibly groan at the statement.

"Anyway, there is a solution." Phantom said before turning to look Adrien in the eyes and Adrien could feel the power the Guardian possessed in that moment. "The only way to get Ladybug back from the Astral Plain, short of breaking the akumatized object that is, is true love's kiss. I know it is cheesy and sappy but as the ultimate power of life, love can cure a lot, including restoring a living spirit in astral form to its body."

"But Ladybug doesn't love me." Adrien said with a heavy sigh. "I love her, but I know that she doesn't love me."

"That would be incorrect." Tikki said with a lot of hesitation and worry in her voice. "I, I don't know how much I can divulge as it involves Ladybug's civilian form but I will say this. Adrien, the person who wears the Ladybug Miraculous doesn't love Cat Noir, that is true, but she does love Adrien Agreste. You two are in love with each other, you just don't know it because you don't know the other's secret. Well until now that is, and Ladybug should know yours after today at the very least."

"Oh." Adrien said shocked as he tried to process that statement. "But no one is in love with me, I just have fan girls who crush on me because they see my pictures and the life I have."

"Adrien my boy, there is a lot you have to learn about women." Plagg said as he flew over to his human and perching on his shoulder. "I, being the suave and sophisticated kwami that I am, can teach you a few things about the fairer sex but that can wait. Trust me there is one girl who does love you for who you are and not what you are, and that girl is the who was chosen by Master Fu to be Ladybug. Of course, she's not so subtle about her feelings for you but you wouldn't get the hint even if she kissed you."

"Plagg you are the farthest thing from being a lady's kwami and you wouldn't know sophistication if it punched you in the face." Tikki said shaking her head. "But regarding my human's feeling for Adrien you are right, though as you pointed out you have to be blind to not see her feelings for Adrien. It is how she was able to break the Dark Cupid power when you were struck by it though even she didn't realize the full extent of it at the time. This is just like that. Trust us and trust that the Guardian of Ghosts knows his shit when it comes to the Astral Plain."

"If it gets my lady back then I will try it." Adrien said as he walked over to his bed and sat down next to Ladybug, making sure he didn't disturb the sheets at all before he gently whispered to her. "I am sorry that I am not asking your permission or consent to do this bugaboo, but I really need my love back. I hope to god this works and that you can forgive me for what I have to do."

"Actually, its Gods, and Guardians, but that's just semantics." Plagg said unhelpfully.

"Quiet Plagg." Tikki scolded hitting her fellow kwami on the back of the head. "And Adrien, it's not as if Ladybug asked your consent during the Dark Cupid incident."

Adrien just shrugged at this and looked down and what little of the woman he was in love with was visible. With a deep breath and hating the cheesiness of the moment, Adrien bent down and gentle kissed Ladybug on the lips.

* * *

Marinette had been watching the exchange between Phantom, Adrien and the kwamis with intrigue as she waited with baited breath for Adrien to finally kiss her. As soon as she had heard that Adrien would still protect her identity despite her knowing his she felt her heart swell even more for him. Marinette had no more doubts that Adrien was the love of her life.

Then, after Adrien had learned how to break Ikiryo's power over her and accepted the truth that Marinette loved him, he still was hesitant because he didn't have her consent. All this just endeared him even more to her though she would always consent to being kissed by Adrien Agreste. However, at that point Adrien leaned down and kissed her and all thoughts left Marinette's mind and not just because Adrien was finally kissing her.

As soon as his lips touched hers, she felt her spirit being pulled from the Astral Plain and back into her body, a process that drove all thoughts from her mind as her consciousness was returned to her body. Unlike before, the process of returning her spirit to her body wasn't painful at all and in seconds she was back in her own body, Adrien's lips on hers. Instinctively she raised her arms and pulled Adrien deeper into the moment.

Alas the moment had to end, and Adrien slowly broke the kiss and sat up, Marinette raising with him. As she did, the cover over her eyes and hair fell away so that she could reveal herself to him in civilian form for the first time. She couldn't help but smile at the look of utter shock on Adrien's face when he looked into her unmasked one.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked as his voice returned to him, his eyes still wide with shock.

"Shh Adrien, we can discuss everything later." Marinette said gently placing a finger on his lips amazed at how she was able to maintain any composure after Adrien had kissed her. "Just know that I love you."

"I love you too." Adrien whispered before Marinette embraced him again, this time she was the one who instigated the passionate kiss they shared.

The new couple were so locked in the embrace that both had desired for so long but because of their secret lives had not been able to have until this moment that neither notice Tikki looking on, her face full of joy, and Plagg looking on in boredom. They also didn't notice as Phantom faded away, back to the realm of ghosts, a small smile on his face as he left, his work done. With the exposure of the Guardians to the Miraculous Holders that day, more Guardians would interact with the couple in the months and years to come but for now Ladybug and Cat Noir had more important shit to do.

"Let's go defeat that akuma." Marinette said as she reluctantly broke their embrace. "Then we can talk about all of this and much, much, more."

"You had me at akuma." Adrien said with a smile at her. "Shall we transform, bugaboo."

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said in response and seconds later she was back to being Ladybug, glad to be in the living plain once more, she never wanted to visit the Astral Plain again.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said seconds later and almost instantly Cat Noir stood there in front of her, holding out a pair of ladybug print pliers. "Shall we go and finally defeat Ikiryo."

"Of course." Marinette said taking the pliers and giving Adrien a chaste kiss on the lips. "Come on kitty, race you there."

With that Marinette leapt onto Adrien's open windowsill and swung her yo-yo into Paris before swinging away, Cat Noir right behind her. Yes, a lot had been revealed today, more than just their secrets and their love for one another, but all that was to come because of those revelations could wait, they had their job to do. Despite all that Ikiryo had put them through Marinette was glad it had happened because without it she wouldn't be with Adrien in the way she had so often dreamed about. Yes, it had been one hell of a day but one that Marinette wouldn't trade for the world.

 **It's been a month since I wrote a oneshot this long but as with the other epic classed oneshots the length is due to the complexity and need for a good story. Just a note on Ikiryo; the name is, as Plagg explains it, a Japanese term for the spirit of a living person that haunts people and the description of her comes from typing Ikiryo into google images and selecting the image I felt best fit an akuma (plus a little homage to the anime roots of Miraculous Ladybug). As I said at the beginning, after 25 oneshots, I now have a classification system for them based on word length. They classes from shortest to longest are: Basic (less than 4k words so only 'Snacks'), Standard (4-6.5k with some overlap for stories that exceed 6.5k and are under 7k due to author notes), Complex (6.5-10k), Epic (10-20k) and Gargantuan (20k-, of which only 'Trickster' is classified as such). As of right now almost all of my oneshots are either Standard or Complex, the later usually because the oneshot requires an additional scene or background to ensure smoothness. Only 6 are Epic or greater with only 2 more currently expected to achieve Epic status. Anyway,** ** **that is all for** ** **this long post chapter note. As always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the greater the diversity of oneshots I can try and write in this series. Dp keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.********

 ** ** ** **Stringdog********


	26. Fanfiction

**Here is the 26th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This oneshot was suggested a few months back by the same follower who suggested last week's oneshot, as well as many other great oneshots in this series and who I thank for providing me with such a range of interesting ideas to try and work on. I admit I had a little fun with the title, I couldn't help myself and it was a strange oneshot to write because of the content of it. One thing that this oneshot does is expand a consistent story thread that I have mentioned but until this oneshot (and will do again in the 29th oneshot) I haven't done. Also, as promised I will be releasing a bonus oneshot at some point in the middle of next week to make up for 'Gifts' being late. As with 'Raffle', I will break tradition and announce the title of the bonus oneshot at the end of this one. So without further adieu, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Fanfiction.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Fanfiction** **\- Alya has expanded her Ladyblog to allow fans of Ladybug and Cat Noir to post their own stories of the heroes of Paris. Some take this as an excuse to post of the time they were saved by Ladybug and Cat Noir, others to tell of the heroes many battles, and some use it to post fanfiction of all kinds about their heroes. As Marinette reads the various stories, she finds a oneshot and realizes that the author must know who she and Cat Noir is because the story of her life is too similar, minus name and profession changes, to be a coincidence. Who could this be? Why are they doing is? And what will the many consequences be that stem from this story?**

* * *

 **Fanfiction**

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon in Paris and for once in her hectic life Marinette had some free time to herself. She was all caught up with her school work, she had no new designs she needed to work on, and her parents didn't need any help in the bakery at the moment. For once she had the time to just relax, a rarity for Ladybug.

Of course, part of the reason for this relaxing moment was the fact that it had been 6 weeks since an akuma, that being Reverser, had terrorized Paris. Marinette was unsure of why there was such a long gap between attacks, or why Hawk Moth was laying low, but for once she wasn't going to complain as it helped ensure that she was always on top of her work. When the inevitable did occur and the akuma attacks returned, Marinette would quickly fall behind with her school work. Sure, she did patrols every week with Cat Noir but that was just to get out, enjoy her powers and show Paris that she cared for her city. Other than that, all Marinette had to remind her of her duties to Paris was the Ladyblog, which was why she was reading it at the moment.

Though Marinette wanted Alya to stop trying to find out who Ladybug was under her mask, mainly because Marinette didn't want to have to admit to Alya that she had been lying to her for years, Marinette still liked to support her best friend's passion. It was part of the reason why Marinette always gave Alya the exclusives she wanted whenever she was in costume and she always liked anything Alya posted to show her support.

Today, however, Marinette was looking at something slightly different on the Ladyblog. Recently Alya had added a new section to her blog and that was what Marinette was reading what was posted there. What Alya had added was a story section where fans of Ladybug and Cat Noir could write their own stories about the heroes. Some were tales of when they had saved a citizen from an akuma, or actions they had done while out out on patrol. Others were accounts of their fights with akumas, some embellished, others more accurate to what had actually happened. The last category, however, was the one that both intrigued and infuriated Marinette the most; fanfiction.

Marinette couldn't believe that there was fanfiction being written about her, well her as Ladybug, but it was still pertaining to her. Against her better judgement, Marinette decided to delve into the world of Ladybug and Cat Noir fanfiction to see what it was all about. What she found was a wide range of styles and topics ranging from some very graphic sex-based fanfics of her and Cat Noir, something that would never happen and that Alya should probably restrict given the age range of Ladyblog subscribers, to theories on who she was under the mask, or people pretending to be her and Cat Noir.

For the most part it was all harmless, if slightly disturbing at times due to some people fantasies, stuff. That was until she found a long oneshot reveal story written by someone going by the username Gui that made Marinette's heart rate pick up.

The story appeared to be normal when Marinette first began to read it, but it soon became apparent to her that the story was far from normal. Whoever had written the story was either the luckiest guesser in the world, incredibly coincidentally, or written by someone who knew information that he or she should not know because the story was way too similar to Marinette's real life when she wasn't Ladybug to be an accident. While the author had changed the names and professions of those portraying Ladybug, Cat Noir and their families, everything else seemed to fit. Only someone who knew Ladybug's identity would be able to get so close to the truth while making sure it wasn't actually revealed. This was regardless of the author's disclaimer that all names, professions, love interests, and dreams were made up for the story and did not reflect real life as far as the author knew.

The main character, who in Gui's story was also Ladybug, was a black hair, blue eyed girl called Maribel Deviande-Sha and was the daughter of a French butcher called Tim and his Chinese wife Sabina, both of their descriptions were similar to her parents though her father in the story had a full beard and her mother was taller. In the oneshot, Maribel had aspirations to be a jewelry designer and was known by her friends to be highly talented in the field for her age, as well as a skilled artist when drawing her designs. All of this was too close to the truth for Marinette to believe that it was coincidental as the author had just changed fashion designer for jewelry designer.

The fanfiction felt like it was written by someone who knew who she was and was deliberately changing key details to obscure it while also letting Marinette know that the author knew the truth about her. It was something only Marinette or Tikki would be able to pick up on but it was clear as day to Marinette. Despite this, Marinette couldn't turn away from the story.

As she continued to read, Marinette reached the description of Cat Noir and his civilian identity. If her theory about the character based of her was true, then it meant that there was a high chance that whoever Cat Noir was in this fanfic that was based off hers and his lives, his information would be very close to the truth of who he was but far enough from it to allow for only Cat Noir to realized that the author likely knew his secret. Despite Marinette's desire to not learn who Cat Noir was for the sake of their safety, she couldn't resist seeing what Gui had written about his 'fictional' Cat Noir's life.

As Marinette read the fictional Cat Noir, she got a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she should know who this information was similar to but for the life of her she couldn't figure out who. In Gui's fanfic, Cat Noir's real name was Adam Champetre and he was the son of the most talented jewelry designer in all of Paris, a tall, aloof, cold man called Graham Champetre. The character of Adam worked part time as a hand model for the masculine line of jewelry that his father created.

All of this set of something in Marinette's brain that she should know who Adam Champetre was based off but her confusion and fear that someone out there knew her secret clouded her judgement on who he could be in real life. Even when she got to the bit about how Maribel was in love with Adam, but he only saw her as a friend and had no idea that Maribel loved him because he was blindly in love with Ladybug not knowing that she was Maribel and flirted with her shamelessly when both were transformed, was enough for Marinette to connect the dots as to who was. Gui's version of Cat Noir even used several cat puns that Marinette thought the real Cat Noir would be proud. Adam, as Cat Noir, also often called Ladybug by pet names, though he called her buginette and my duchess instead of bugaboo and my lady that the real Cat Noir called her.

It was all too freaky and close to the original that by the time that Marinette got to the point that the Ladyblog in the story was run by a girl called Talia who was Maribel's best friend but had no idea that Maribel was Ladybug, Marinette was freaking the fuck out at the story. It was all too coincidental to be accidental or lucky guesswork. There was someone out there who knew both hers and Cat Noir's secret identities and had written a fanfic of it that was similar enough, and on the right platform, for Marinette to recognize it and know that what the fanfiction was intending to portray.

Marinette didn't even finish the story before she had begun to hyperventilate. The panic, usually reserved for talking to Adrien and trying to hide her love for him from him, was starting to set in and take hold of her. It was so bad that Tikki had noticed Marinette's current state and come over to check on her human to see what was going on.

"Marinette, what's the matter?" Tikki asked her, the kwami's little voice full of concern. "You usually only act this way when you think that Adrien has, or at least could, learn about your crush on him before you are ready to finally tell him."

"My life is ruined." Marinette wailed, letting her panic out now that she had Tikki to talk too. "It's as bad as it would be if Adrien knew I love him, though if not worse."

"What do you mean?" Tikki asked clearly confused. "After you threw Adrien off the truth, despite having the best chance to come clean, after the Troublemaker attack, nothing has happened since then to possible cause him to suspect your feelings. So, if it isn't Adrien, what is the matter? Your secret identity is still a secret and while everyone else knows that you love Adrien, he doesn't. So, what is it?"

"Th-that." Marinette stuttered out as she pointed at her computer screen where the story was still pulled up. "Someone knows who I am Tikki."

"What!" Tikki exclaimed as she turned to look at the screen and began to read. "That should be impossible, other than me only three people know that you are Ladybug and two of them are kwamis bound by ancient oaths of secrecy to never reveal … merde. I know who wrote this."

Marinette was taken aback by her kwami's sudden expletive as the little creature was reading the story. At least it seemed that Tikki knew who had written it, that was the first bit of good news Marinette had heard so far. Now she could now confront the writer and make sure that he or she stopped writing stuff that was way too close to the truth.

"Who?" Marinette asked quietly as Tikki finished reading the story.

"The only one who would actually have the balls, well technically he doesn't have balls but that's biological semantics, to actually do something like this." Tikki said a hint of anger and annoyance in her voice. "He's always trying this shit whenever he can. I think we should let Cat Noir know when we see him tonight on patrol and then we can go and confront the culprit as he should still be up despite the late hour. At least this time his messing has validity given his usual goal whenever he pulls this shit."

"This is all fascinating Tikki, but can you at least tell me who wrote this." Marinette said a little frustrated. Her panic and fear had faded with Tikki's statement that she knew who the guilty party was, but it still annoyed her that her kwami wouldn't spill the beans on who was responsibly for this story.

"Wayzz." Tikki said and Marinette's mouth fell open in shock at that revelation, she had not expected Master Fu's calm, steady, kwami to be involved in this at all.

"How do you know that Wayzz is responsible?" Marinette asked. "He doesn't seem like the type to do something like this. He knows we are supposed to not reveal our secret identities to anyone."

"There are only three beings who know this kind of information and would actually be able to create a story that is practically the truth but with the important names, descriptions, and professions slightly changed." Tikki said as she continued to look over the story. "Master Fu, who would never write fanfiction as he prefers to write his own stories, Cat Noir's kwami, who would rather get drunk and gamble with beings he shouldn't instead of sitting down to write anything that is not an epic ode to stinky socks or whatever food he is currently addicted to, and Wayzz who is a methodical and creative turtle who loves to write in his spare time. Wayzz has always been a bit of a literary kwami, he is the keeper of our internal records because of it, but this is just too odd, even for him. However, there is no doubt in my mind that it is him. Also Gui means turtle in Chinese and Cat Noir's kwami would never make a pen name like that."

"But why?" Marinette asked. Her fear was gone, replaced by confusion at Wayzz's actions. "I can see the logic as to why he would be the author, but I still don't understand why he would write it."

"Wayzz is, among the many qualities that he has picked up over his long life, a hopeless old romantic." Tikki said shaking her head. "Honestly, I think its cos he spent way too much time with Freya, the Norse goddess of love, about 2,679 years ago. Wayzz has also always loved human tales of romance, especially when there is something blocking that romance from taking hold, as in the current case. Whatever the reason, he loves to play matchmaker whenever he can. His favorite match is setting up the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous holders together, through whatever means are available to him at the time."

"All of them?" Marinette asked surprised. She had never gotten this vibe from Wayzz, but she had to admit that she barely knew the Turtle Kwami.

"So long as he is active at the same time, Wayzz will try." Tikki confirmed with a nod. "He wasn't in America 240 years ago when me and Cat Noir's kwami were last active because the Guardian of the Miraculouses of that period used the Rooster Miraculous and not the Turtle Miraculous. As such, Wayzz couldn't mess with the holders back then, but the handful of times he has been active at the same time as us, he has tried. The only things that stop him are when one, or both, of the Miraculous Holders is gay, already married, related, which is more common than you would thing, or the age difference would be unacceptable by the society that we were in at the time's standards. This time however, well let's just say that Wayzz didn't have to try and get the pair of you to fall in love with one another, only to realize that you were already in love with each other from pretty much the very beginning. Apparently, his solution was to write a shitty piece of fanfiction about you two on a site that at least you would see with enough similarities to tell the truth of the matter. Likely, Wayzz thinks that once at least one of you knows the truth you will act on it and get together."

"How much of what Wayzz wrote is true?" Marinette grumbled, annoyed that the other kwami was trying to mess with her love life, that was reserved for Adrien, and not fully hearing Tikki's words on the subject.

"All of it." Tikki said with a sigh before pausing as if she wasn't going to continue before slowly adding. "The love square that Wayzz describes in his fanfiction is real. The boy you love is also Cat Noir, who as you know, loves Ladybug back and doesn't know that it is you. That is what Wayzz is trying to get at with his fanfic, the love square between Ladybug and Cat Noir. If you realized that the rest was so similar to real life, then Wayzz is likely betting on the fact that you would believe that it was all real, including who Adam is based off and yes he is based off the real Cat Noir just as Maribel is based of you."

"Adrien." Marinette whispered as the realization suddenly hit her as there was only one person she was in love with. That bay was Cat Noir, which meant that he loved her back, or at least loved the Ladybug part of her.

"Yes, Adrien is Cat Noir." Tikki confirmed with a sad sigh that Marinette missed. "I probably just broke a major oath that all kwamis have to make, as did Wayzz, by explain this so that you could easily figure out Cat Noir's secret identity. Wayzz practically backed me into a corner but should there be the usual consequences of breaking such an oath, I will deal with them when they occur. As much as you shouldn't know, given the feelings between you two, it's about time you did know."

"Consequences?" Marinette asked her kwami. She had no idea what Tikki was talking about, she was too stunned at the revelation that Adrien was Cat Noir to comprehend much else.

"There will be some punishment that I will have to endure in the near future for basically telling you who Cat Noir is under his mask." Tikki replied though Marinette was barely listening to her kwami. "However, that will not affect or fall upon you Marinette, so you do not need to worry. It is a cosmic magical balance thing if you will. Something that has to happen when someone breaks a magically binding oath."

"Oh, ok that's good to know." Marinette said absentmindedly as she still processed the information she had just learned.

What Marinette really wanted to do was think on this for a while and decide how to best act on the information when she next saw Cat Noir. Of course, fate had other plans for her as that moment an alarm on her phone went off letting her know that she had to get ready and go meet Cat Noir for a patrol.

Deciding that it was best to just deal with this sudden situation head on, now that she knew the truth, and hopefully the wonderful consequences of said truth, Marinette stood up. It was time to go on patrol, confront Cat Noir, tell him about the story on the Ladyblog, and if he confirmed Tikki's revelation, reveal herself to him in return. One way or another, Marinette's life was about to change forever, again.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said and in seconds she was Ladybug once more.

Opening the trap door in her ceiling, Marinette climbed out and after making sure that no one was around, threw her yo-yo and swung into the warm Parisian night. It was time to confirm the revelation that Wayzz had forced, hoping that it was the truth.

* * *

It only took a few minutes for Marinette to reach the roof where she had scheduled tonight's patrol with Cat Noir to begin. As soon as she arrived Marinette found Cat Noir already there, casually leaning on a chimney with his usual cocky grin and twirling the tail part of his belt in his left hand. Now that Marinette knew that he was in fact Adrien Agreste, she had a hard time keeping her composure around him, but she had to do her best.

"M'lady, always a pleasure to see your beauty." Cat Noir said as soon as she had landed on the roof. With the recent knowledge of who was complementing her, the words caused her to blush as red as her suit.

"Hello kitty." Marinette said when she had recovered, though her heart rate was still well above average and it took all of her self control to speech normally to Adrien. "Good to see you too."

"Shall we begin our pawtrol?" Cat Noir said with a wink. Despite knowing that Cat Noir was Adrien, Marinette still groaned at the cat pun, no amount of love for Adrien could ever make Marinette love those puns.

"Not yet." Marinette replied. "There, there is something we should talk about first. Something from the Ladyblog."

"The Ladyblog?" Cat Noir asked. "What does that have to do with anything regarding us."

"There's a new section that is filled with fanfiction about us." Marinette said. "And as such it as everything to do with us."

"Yeah is saw that section." Cat Noir replied. "It was a little disturbing if you ask me."

"Yes, well there was one story there in particular that I would like to talk about, it is by an author known as Gui." Marinette began with a little hesitation. "It is different from the rest. It's one of those fan stories about us where the author has made a guess at our names, families, and lives. However, unlike the other stories, in my case it is a lot closer to the truth than anything else that has been published on the Ladyblog. It practically is the truth with just names and professions changed."

"Yeah I saw that story and was wondering how true it is." Cat Noir said his eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of Gui's story, clearly he had also read it. "When I read it, I noticed that the character based off me, as well as the one that was my dad, was very close to the truth. It had just been changed in places. My kwami wouldn't confirm it though, he just ate cheese and told me not to worry about it. Also that if it was not a story about cheese then it wasn't good literature and should be ignored."

"Well my kwami confirmed that it was written by someone who knows who both of us are." Marinette said deciding to ignore Cat Noir's odd reference to cheese. "As well as the fact that the love square depicted in the story is true. That allowed me to figure out who you are because it is your civilian identity that I fell in love with. I didn't know that you and he were one and the same."

"You know who I am?" Cat Noir asked. He didn't seem surprised or worried, only curious.

"You're Adrien Agreste." Marinette said finally saying out loud her theory as to who was under Cat Noir's mask.

"I guess there is no point in denying it anymore now that you know the truth." Cat Noir said with a sigh. "You may as well see who I am under this mask. Plagg, claws in."

With that Adrien let his transformation fall. Marinette had been expecting to see Adrien standing in front of her, but it was still strange to see Adrien in his normal clothes right after she had seen him as Cat Noir. He was standing there with a small, shy, smile on his face while a jet black kwami with the appearance of a cat hovered over his shoulder looking completely uninterested in the whole situation.

"So, based on the story and your own confession, I have to confirm." Adrien said after a long pause of them just staring at each other atop that roof. "You really do love me?"

"I, I, do." Marinette said as her nerves and insecurities began to take over now that Adrien was in front of her and she was finally admitting her feelings to him. "I didn't know that you were Cat Noir or else I would have given you the chance as soon as you made it clear that you liked me. However, it was more important to keep our identities secret than to tell one another so I didn't know until now that the boy I love, loves me back. At least until our hands were forced by Wayzz, Master Fu's kwami. He was the one who wrote the story."

"Why did he do that?" Adrien asked confused. "I mean don't get me wrong, I am very pleased to know that the girl I love loves me back, well at least loves the civilian part of me, as I thought I would have to keep trying to get you to fall for me. However, I am still surprised that Wayzz would do something like this."

"Cos, he likes to try and set up Ladybug and Cat Noir whenever both miraculouses are active." Marinette said with a shrug. "Apparently he's a hopeless romantic in that sense."

"Well our miraculouses are two parts of a whole, or at least they appear to be what with creation and destruction being their powers." Adrien replied. "I can see the logic in some sense. Still odd but at least in our case it is true."

"Well about that, I, I have to know." Marinette began, trying her hardest to not let her throat close up. "I know you love me as Ladybug, but will you still love me once you know who I am under the mask. I'm very different when I'm not transformed into Ladybug."

"My lady." Adrien said in a soft loving voice, his green eyes meeting her blue ones. "When we were on that bridge, looking at the avatar Hawk Moth had created during the second Stoneheart fight, and I saw you stand up to him I knew, then and there, that I was in love with you. All of you. I fell for Ladybug and that includes the girl who was chosen to hold the Ladybug Miraculous for in order to be chosen that person had to be special, she had to be the person I saw on that bridge in real life to be given such a responsibility. Regardless of who you are under that mask or when you decide to trust me with your identity, I will always love you, both with and without the mask."

Marinette had been looking into Adrien's eyes the entire time and could tell that he was being truthful with his words. He really did love her whether or not she had the mask on. It was in that instant that Marinette knew that the time was right to reveal who she was to him. They knew that they loved and trusted each other, there would be no more secrets between them.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said as she closed her eyes and her transformation fell away. She heard Adrien gasp in surprise as he saw her without the costume for the first time.

Still Marinette waited to open her eyes. She knew what she would see but she still had to take a moment to collect herself before she opened them to see Adrien still standing there, his mouth open in shock.

"H-hi Adrien." Marinette said softly. Despite everything she was still just a nervous schoolgirl standing on a roof right with her crush right after revealing her deepest secrets to him.

"Marinette, you're Ladybug?" Adrien asked as he collected himself, to which Marinette just nodded as Adrien continued. "Of course, you are, you are the perfect person to be Ladybug. Your kind, considerate and always willing to help others no matter what. I don't know how I didn't see it before. You're the girl I'm in love with."

"Adrien, you have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear those words." Marinette said as she felt her cheeks flush at Adrien's statement. "I have been in love with you ever since you gave me your umbrella, just waiting to find the courage to tell you and hope you would give me a chance."

Adrien just smiled at that. Marinette wasn't exactly sure what happened next, all she would remember was that one moment they were still standing on the roof facing each other, then next they were in each other's arms and their lips were meeting like a pair of long lost lovers. The embrace that Marinette had been dreaming about for years was finally happening and she couldn't be happier in that moment, even if it had been because of a romantically inclined turtle.

After a few minutes later, they finally broke the embrace. However, they stayed in each other's arms just looking into one another's eyes.

"So…" Adrien said after a long moment. "What now?"

"Now." Marinette said firmly. "We go see Master Fu, hope he is still awake at this hour, and confront Wayzz about what he wrote, and to thank him for it."

With that Marinette reluctantly broke away from her embrace with Adrien. They had one more thing to do before they could finally enjoy time as a couple.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said and in a second she had transformed. Not looking over her shoulder she ran to the edge of the roof and yelled back at Adrien. "Come on kitty, race you there."

* * *

Marinette and Adrien walked into Master Fu's still open massage parlor, hand in hand. They had raced here before finding an alley to drop their transformations in. Marinette felt that if they were going to confront Wayzz about his interference then they may as well let him know that he had succeeded.

"Marinette, Adrien, what are you two doing here together?" Master Fu asked confused when they walked in together, the worry evident in his voice. "If you are both here then you must have learned the truth about one another."

"We did Master Fu." Marinette said, smiling at the old man. "I know we weren't supposed to learn it but, well, thanks to a certain kwami's interference we found out the truth."

"Ah hello Marinette, Adrien, I see my story had its intended outcome." Wayzz said as he flew out from Master Fu's gramophone and saw the new couple standing there. "Once again Ladybug and the Black Cat are together, as they should be. It appears my work here is done."

"Wayzz what have you done?" Master Fu said turning to his kwami, though the old man didn't sound angry at Wayzz.

"I wrote a fanfiction on Alya's Ladyblog that was close enough to the truth to allow Marinette and Adrien to realize that I knew the truth." Wayzz said without any shame or remorse, only pride in his steady voice. "It took a while as us kwamis aren't designed for typing but I managed it. The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous holders should always be together, it makes them stronger as it plays into the dichotomy of their abilities and the unique connection between their miraculouses. Therefore, I always try to ensure that they get together whenever I can, and I have never failed to achieve that, except when the age gap was too great, one of the holders was gay, the holders are directly related, or I was in the miraculous box. Course this time was easier as you both already loved each other and didn't know it."

"Wayzz, that was highly irresponsible of you to do that." Master Fu said reproachfully. "Fortunately, there will be other stories out there that will hide yours, but I suggest you take it down now that your goal has been achieved. Also, there is a chance that you broke the oath of secrecy all kwamis take to not divulge the identity of another kwami's human to anyone. I hope you are willing to pay the consequences for your actions."

"I have already spoken with the Guardian of Magic." Wayzz replied. "Prior to writing the story as a matter of fact, just to be sure I was cleared to write it. He said that it was a borderline violation and likely to cause a revelation, but it would depend on Tikki and Plagg's reactions to the story. Regardless I am likely to face some minor punishment that will only last a few hours and not be the kind of thing Plagg normally faces when he breaks the oath. Then again I don't have a long list of outstanding debts that have to be paid."

"My countless debts aside, I actually told Adrien nothing." Plagg said with a smug look on his face. "He asked, and I just told him to ignore it, it was just some crazed obsessive fan getting really lucky that's all."

"You also said that because it wasn't about cheese it wasn't worth my time to read it." Adrien said.

"And I stand by that statement." Plagg said with a firm nod. "My gooey goddess deserves to be immortalized in literature."

"That is surprisingly unlike you Plagg." Master Fu said, wisely steering the conversation away from cheese. "Usually I would expect you to break the oath when something like this happens."

"Plagg didn't, but I almost certainly did." Tikki said in a quiet voice and Marinette watched as the other two kwamis, and Master Fu, stared in amazement at her kwami. "When Marinette freaked out and asked how true it was I confirmed the truth as I knew Wayzz was the writer, using the Chinese word for turtle was a dead giveaway to me. In the process I told Marinette that the person she was in love with was Cat Noir, as Wayzz had described it in his fanfic, and well that allowed her to clearly figure it out. It wasn't a direct violation, but I am sure that the universe will send me my punishment when Marinette is asleep tonight."

"Er about that." Marinette said. "What is this punishment."

"Nothing you should worry about Marinette." Master Fu said kindly. "It is a kwami thing and powers beyond either of our comprehension will sort it out. Now once Wayzz confirms that he has deleted his story, I say we all have some tea. Thanks to my match making kwami, we have a lot to talk about."

Marinette and Adrien just nodded at that. There was a lot to talk about and a nice cup of tea between the three of the four miraculous holders in Paris was a good idea. Marinette was just glad that she was finally with Adrien and that Wayzz was going to delete the story, the rest would sort itself out later. Now, though, it was time for tea.

* * *

It had been late by the time they had all arrived at Master Fu's, so it was near midnight by the time tea with Master Fu had ended. That meant that Marinette and Adrien didn't have much time to enjoy their first night as a couple. All they had been able to do was walk back to Adrien's house, kiss and promise to see each other the next night.

After that Marinette had practically skipped home, snuck in so as to not wake her parents, and headed to her room. Tikki had to listen to a gleeful and happy Marinette talk about the day for a bit before exhaustion finally took over and Marinette had crashed. It had been a busy day after all with a lot of revelations to take in.

Now, Marinette had gone to sleep and Tikki was still awake, floating in the center of her room. She knew what was coming and all she could do was wait. Unlike Plagg, who had a long list of potential deities to punish him for breaking an oath sworn on the river Styx and as such had some vague idea who would come and administer his punishment, Tikki had no such list. That meant that any of the countless deities could be the one to come and administer her punishment.

Sure, Tikki had her suspicions as to who it might be, likely one of the love deities who didn't like Tikki not joining them on anything girly, but it could literally be anyone. This was only the 3rd time Tikki had violated the oath, the last 2 had seen Aphrodite and Ceres being the deities to punish her so she assumed that it would be someone similar.

That was why when the pink role of fabric that Marinette had recently bought to make her next dress out of began to move on its own accord, Tikki freaked out a little as she had no idea who that could be. Though given the unnatural movement of the material, it had to be the deity sent to punish her.

The little kwami watched as a large section of the fabric tore itself off and fluttered silently to the middle of the room, the missing chunk instantly being replaced as if nothing had happened. As soon as it reached the center of the room it began to form into the shape of a human with a distinctly feminine appearance standing a little over 5 and a half feet tall. Once the body of the deity was formed, the fabric began to change and in seconds a woman in her mid 20s was standing in the middle of a room in a distinctive outfit. That was when Tikki knew at least the group she was dealing with, she was dealing with a Guardian of the Elements.

The athletically built woman was lightly tanned with long, light brown hair tied into a simple pony tail. As with all Guardians she wore a colored shirt and blue jeans. In this Guardian's case her shirt was a light pink, v-cut style with very short sleeves, while her jeans were light blue and hugged her legs tightly. The shirt was tucked in so Tikki could see the woman was wearing a matching pink belt. While the footwear of Guardians varied, this one was wearing low heeled black boots.

Next Tikki took in the Guardian's weapons. On her left hip was the standard, straight bladed dagger that was issued to all Guardians, though this Guardian had accessorized her dagger with a grip made out of interlaced, pink, yarn. On right hip was the weapon that differentiated from all other Guardians, selected by each Guardian upon ascension if Tikki's memory served her correctly. In this Guardian's case, the weapon appeared to be a lasso made out of pink silk.

After taking in all of this, Tikki decided to look to the woman's right for her name and rank. Tattooed there was the word SILK 30 in cursive script. The tattoo was written in pink and it looked as if the word had been sown into her skin out of pink thread. It was one of the more detailed Guardian tattoos that Tikki had seen.

Tikki knew who the woman was in front of her, the pair had met a few times long ago when the Guardians had had to interact with the miraculous holders during the brief reign of Emperor Titus. However, back then the woman wasn't a Guardian, just a high ranked follower who held the rank where she was being considered for Guardianship. The number explained that she was one of the 6 new Guardians to ascend to the rank a few years ago. Tikki had been so busy with her own stuff in Paris that she had never figured out who had become Guardians or their elements so this was going to be an interesting conversation.

The Guardian had allowed Tikki to take her in and see all that Tikki needed to know who was here to administer her punishment. Once it was clear that Tikki was done, the Guardian raised a finger to her lips and then pointed up to the roof. Tikki easily got the implication and nodded, it was best to have their conversation away from Marinette.

Slowly, knowing what was to come, Tikki flew up and phased through the ceiling and into the clear, warm, night of Paris. Moments later a line of pink fabric made its way through the crack in the trapdoor and in seconds Silk had reformed in front of Tikki. It was time to learn her punishment for breaking her oath.

"Can we talk freely here?" Tikki asked quietly in English, the official language of the Guardians. She knew that she had to show respect, but she didn't know Silk's element to properly show that respect. Tikki had a theory, but the kwami had to be sure that they could talk freely first.

"Mage has ensured that the mist is powerful enough hiding us, and Sonic has made sure that no one can hear us if they are nearby." Silk said in American accented English. "You have nothing to fear Tikki, this conversation is as private as the Guardians of Magic and Sound can make it."

"Ok that is good." Tikki said with a sigh. "It is good to see you again Silk, though when I last met you had a different name. Congratulations on finally making Guardian by the way."

"Yes, I took the name upon ascension, as many Guardians do when the Master Guardian bestows the honor of Guardianship on us." Silk said with a smile. "It lets the mythical world that there is a new Guardian among them as well. Normally, but not always, it is tied to our element. Thank you Tikki. It has been a long time coming but I patiently waited for the prophesy to be fulfilled. Once it was fulfilled, it was only a matter of time before all 4 of us who held the rank just below Guardian ascended to the ranks of the Guardians."

"What element have you been given?" Tikki asked. She was curious as between the name and abilities, Tikki suspected that Silk had been given an unusual element and it had been a long time since Tikki had met a recently made Guardian. "I knew of the promotions, we all did, but I have been a bit busy and unlike Plagg I like to keep distant from the ancient world and enjoy the current one that my human lives in."

"A wise move when you work within the realm of mortals." Silk said with a nod. "I have been made the Guardian of Fashion. As such I have complete control over clothes, materials used to make them and what not. It is an odd choice, likely due to Minerva being my mother, and one that I am still trying to fully develop it. It is one of the elements that is considered man-made and modern, part of what the Mast Guardian is calling the next wave of elements designed to reflect the current state of the world. Long ago we decided not to question the Master Guardian's decisions and seeing as I am finally a Guardian, which was always the goal, I am happy with my element."

"I understand, it is the same with new kwamis when the Guardian of Magic creates a new miraculous." Tikki said before bowing formally in the air. "Silk, Guardian of Fashion, I know why you are here and accept my punishment for violating my oath of secrecy."

"Tikki there is no need to be formal with me." Silk said with a smile. "You are so much older and more established than I am. As you know why I am here, shall we adjourn and begin the punishment."

"Just a few questions." Tikki said raising from her bow and floating to hover before Silk's eyes. "And then we can begin."

"Of course, it is only natural to be curious." Silk said with a smile. "I shall try to answer your questions as best I can."

"Ok, so what is my punishment?" Tikki asked.

"Now, now, you know that I won't tell you that." Silk said with a small laugh. "Suffice it to say that I have a small boutique of high end fashion items here in heart of Paris's fashion district, one of my European bases, and I could use someone who is naturally small to aid me with several products. So, when you broke your oath, I volunteered to be the administer of that punishment. Unlike your other half who has an encyclopedia of people who he owes debts to many deities who would love to use the violation to call them in, you don't have any. Therefore, someone had to volunteer to administer the punishment and I felt I could use you. I had to fend off a few goddesses. Venus is not happy with how I left her dresses but she deserved far worse, for the honor but seeing as the last 2 times you broke your oath it was goddesses, it was agreed that a Guardian should have the honor this time."

"That answers my second question." Tikki said as she digested the answer and secretly wished she had been there to see the fight between Silk and Venus. "Lastly then; how long will this last? As you know I need to get back to Marinette before she wakes up."

"There's no need to worry about that." Silk said with a shake of her head. "I have spoken with the Guardian of Time and he has agreed to slow the time around where your punishment is taking place. As a result, it will feel like days at least to you while you aid me, but only a few hours of real time will pass so you will be done well before Marinette wakes up. Of course you can't tell her about the punishment or the Guardians but that's part of the oath as you well know."

"Very well." Tikki said in resignation as she realized that everything had been set up to ensure she was properly punished. "Let's get this over with."

"Come with me." Silk said as she walked off the roof, a pink pad of fabric, likely silk or cotton, appearing at her feet to carry her through Paris in a strange display of power as it seemed to resemble a magic carpet of all things. "It is time to pay the price for breaking your oath of secrecy."

Tikki just sighed and floated after the Guardian of Fashion. She knew that she deserved this punishment but as Tikki thought about it, it was worth it. Marinette and Adrien were finally together, happy, and all their secrets where known to each other. For that, Tikki would gladly bear the price of breaking her oath. Still, the punishment was no doubt going to be shitty but Tikki had to face the music. She had committed a crime, she had to do the time. It was time to pay the price, a price she was more than happy to pay. With that, Tikki smiled as she floated off to whatever punishment awaited her.

 **A complex class oneshot that was one of the oddest to write due to the title but no less fun. I have in the past alluded to what would happen if a kwami broke their oath and well that has happened. It will happen again in this series. As promised, the bonus oneshot, set to be released during the week, is called 'Scent' and that is all I am saying about it.** **Anyway,** ** **that is all for** ** **this post chapter note. As always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the longer this series will last, currently I have 9 prompts in my queue, not including bonus ones. Do keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews and get ready for the latest episode in Miraculous Ladybug to be released in 2 days! Until next week.********

 ** ** ** **Stringdog********


	27. Scent

**Here is the 27th and third bonus oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the last scheduled bonus oneshot and is being released due to my last bonus oneshot, 'Gifts', being released later than promised. After this one there will only be bonus oneshots for when I am late without reason in releasing a future oneshot. This oneshot came to me randomly while either reading a MLB fanfic or writing one of my other oneshots, I can't remember, a plays off a vague fan theory I have encountered once or twice. That's enough for this a/n, sit back and enjoy this bonus oneshot in this series, Scent.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Scent** **\- As Cat Noir, Adrien enjoys certain enhancements to his body. Some like enhanced strength, endurance, agility, and speed are standard for Miraculous Holders. Others, however, are unique to the Black Cat Miraculous. One such enhancement is that when transformed, Adrien's sense of smell is as acute as that of a cat. As a result he can identify and remember certain smells, such as the unique scent of Ladybug. What will happen when Adrien discovers that some of the enhancements now remain after he had shed his transformation? What kind of scents will he smell in his daily life and what kind of revelations will those scents reveal?  
**

* * *

 **Scent**

Adrien closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scents of Paris to fill his nostrils, remembering all the unique scents he had smelt since becoming Cat Noir. When Adrien was transformed into Cat Noir, he gained a collection of enhanced abilities, in addition to the power of destruction unique to his miraculous. It was a feeling he greatly enjoyed as it was when he was at his most free from the hectic nature that was his civilian life. When Adrien was Cat Noir, he could truly be himself.

There were the standard enhancements that Ladybug, Rena Rouge and Carapace, as well as the akumas and almost certainly Hawk Moth, also got. These were the enhancements that all miraculouses bestowed upon their respective holders. Enhanced speed, agility, dexterity, strength, endurance, reflexes, healing, and resistance were the standard with the miraculouses. There was some variation between the holders in these abilities such as he had greater enhanced dexterity and reflexes than Ladybug though she had greater strength and endurance and someone like Carapace had greater resistance as was the unique nature of their respective miraculouses. Still those were all to expected when one was a Miraculous Holder, what Adrien especially enjoyed were the particular enhancements afforded only to him because his miraculous was connected to the natural abilities of a cat.

The first, arguable the most useful, and most obvious enhancement that his miraculous gave him was the ability to see in the dark, or at least in much lower levels of light than a normal human. This night vision had come in handy many times, such as during the Stormy Weather attack, as Ladybug lacked the ability herself.

Then there was his enhanced hearing. For some reason it was tied to the odd cat ears on his head, but whenever Adrien was transformed his hearing was, like his vision, at the level of an average cat and thus well above that of an average human. This had allowed him to save Ladybug or civilians a time or two from an angry akuma, most recently against Troublemaker.

His touch and taste senses weren't enhanced however, in fact his taste was lessened when he was transformed. Adrien rarely ate when he was Cat Noir but when he had, he had been unable to enjoy certain foods as his sense of taste appeared to be diminished while he was transformed. As for touch, Adrien had learned in researching the biology of cats after discovering his heightened senses, that while cats had a highly sensitive sense of touch, it was due to their whiskers and not paws. Fortunately, his transformed form did not give him whiskers, in addition to the ears and faux tail it did give him. Therefore, he was denied a heightened sense of touch.

Still of the 5 senses, Adrien's favorite enhanced sense was his new heightened sense of smell. When transformed, and concentrating hard enough, he could pick up even the faintest whiff of something in the air. It had led him to discover that he was especially sensitive to catnip and to try and avoid it to avoid making an ass out of himself around the substance, but it had also allowed him to smell all the wonderful, and disgusting, scents of his hometown. There was one scent that was better than any other however; Ladybug's.

It was a scent he was intimately familiar with just from all the time they had spent together patrolling Paris and fighting Hawk Moth's akumas. He always knew when she was around from the uniqueness of her scent. With his heightened ability, Adrien could smell beyond the small amount of strangely familiar perfume Ladybug used and down to her natural scent from her personal passions.

Ladybug always had the same smells on her, though in different concentrations from time to time. The main scent was freshly baked bread of all things. Mixed in was a hint of chocolate, sugar and a scent that Adrien associated with newly made clothes, the last of which was the faintest and only identifiable to him because of his modeling.

It had allowed Adrien to trace Ladybug's civilian identity to someone associated with a bakery, either working in one, living near one, or frequenting them. However, this was Paris so that revelation did not narrow down the list of potential candidates for Ladybug as there were many great bakeries in the city. His friend Marinette for example lived above one and her parents were bakers but as far as Adrien knew, Marinette was not Ladybug.

Adrien sighed as the scent of Ladybug slowly vanished into the multitude of scents that made up Paris. They had just finished another uneventful patrol and his lady had gone home only a minute or so ago. Adrien was closer to his own house, so he could take a brief moment to enjoy the last traces of her scent. Slowly, reluctantly, Adrien opened his eyes and looked out over the setting summer sun of Paris. It was time to go home.

* * *

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said as soon as he was back in his room and had closed the window he left open to leave when he was Cat Noir.

"Cheese!" Plagg wailed with glee and pleasure as the kwami was forced out of the miraculous and flew straight towards the stash he kept in Adrien's room.

"Silly kwami." Adrien muttered as he crashed into his sofa with an exhausted sigh.

The patrol had been routine and uneventful as always, Adrien just needed to relax for a moment as he settled back into his virtual prison. Though he was used to the sudden drop in strength, endurance, ability and everything else that came with being a Miraculous Holder when he was Cat Noir, Adrien still hated the sudden drop in skills and abilities that happened once he dropped his transformation. Closing his eyes Adrien inhaled slowly. That was when he smelt it and his eyes opened wide in shock.

Adrien knew the smell of Camembert very well. It was all his kwami ate, unless they were out then it was some other, equally stinky, cheese, so he had become accustomed to it. That being said, Adrien still noticed the distinct odor even after smelling it daily for years. This time however, he could smell it in a detail he had never smelt it before. It was strong, pungent and made the past times he had smelt it seem pleasant by comparison. All this and Adrien knew that the cheese was on the other side of his room, too far to normally smell.

Confused at his sudden increased sense of smell, Adrien inhaled again. This time he was more measured as he inhaled and focused on what he did when he used his heightened sense of smell as Cat Noir. In addition to the stinky cheese, Adrien could smell his dirty laundry, the traces of the _Adrien_ fragrance he had to wear and the dinner that his father was about to eat. If his smell was accurate, and it usually was, Gabriel Agreste was about to have a fillet minion, rare, with all the finest trimmings and a bottle of good wine if Adrien was not mistaken. It was what his father would eat so Adrien knew he was right.

"Plagg I have a question?" Adrien asked his loudly eating kwami.

"Whatever it is I didn't do it and if you met a man with a tattoo that read Fracture, tell him you have never heard of me or know where I am but that I will see him for our weekly poker game in the Catacombs next week." Plagg called from his cheese cabinet. "I am not in debt to countless, very dangerous, deities."

"Er ok I wasn't going to ask about any of that." Adrien said confused at Plagg's words but deciding it was best to not question them.

"Oh, that's good." Plagg said with an audible sigh of relief, followed by the sound of the kwami swallowing a wedge of cheese whole. "What do you want to know? I can answer pretty much anything except for who Ladybug is and why I owe a Mayan death god several unpleasant favors."

"It's neither of those." Adrien said with a slight chuckle at Plagg's usual oddness. "Though I wish you could tell me who Ladybug is, but I won't pry, just as I don't pry into your personal life."

"Good because the first would involve breaking a magical oath and the later would probably give you nightmares for eternity." Plagg called back between loud bites of cheese.

"No, I was wondering why I can suddenly smell what is for dinner, my dirty clothes in the bathroom and the stinky cheese you are eating." Adrien said. "It's like I what I can smell as Cat Noir, just not as intense. Certainly greater than a human's smell though."

"Oh, that's an easy one." Plagg said as Adrien heard the kwami swallow another large piece of Camembert, seriously how much was Plagg eating. "You are experiencing the Bleeding Effect of the Black Cat Miraculous, faster than average by the way. Also, my fair lady Camembert is a gooey, stinky, goddess. Do not insult her."

"The Bleeding Effect?" Adrien asked confused at what Plagg has so nonchalantly thrown out at him and ignoring his kwami's strange obsession with the stinky cheese. "What's that?"

"The Bleeding Effect is a side effect of the miraculouses." Plagg said still eating his cheese. "All Miraculous Holders experience it to some effect due to prolonged usage of a miraculous, don't worry it's nothing serious and is actually a boon for the most part. Of course, because I am a force of pure destruction and the very nature of my power is to corrupt and destroy, the Bleeding Effect is always most pronounced, fasted occurring, and effective in my humans than it has with my brothers and sisters' humans."

"Ok this doesn't sound great." Adrien said with a hint of worry in his voice. "Do you mind explaining what it actually is."

"You're a smart kind, it should be obvious to you." Plagg retorted, clearly annoyed that Adrien was disrupting his imitation of a pig at a trough. "You are interrupting my date with Lady Camembert, after which I have a meeting of Underworld Deities Anonymous in the Catacombs to attend. It's Hades's turn to select our event and that means it's going to be something good and I don't want to face the late penalty that The Rich One will come up with."

"Plagg, it has a long day and I am not up for thinking at the moment." Adrien said with a sigh. "Just tell me what it is and then I can go to bed. Then you can be free to do whatever it is that you and Lady Camembert have planned tonight."

"Fine." Plagg moaned. "But only because you keep me fed with Camembert and because you are experiencing it right now. The Bleeding Effect isn't a bad thing, though there a few effects you will have to be a little wary of. What it is, is when a Miraculous Holder starts to notice certain enhancements to their senses or feelings when not transformed that would otherwise only occur while transformed."

"So, in my case that would be heightened smell, hearing, night vision, and reflexes?" Adrien asked finally understanding the basics of what Plagg was getting at. "Those are the traits that I get when I am transformed."

"As well as a dislike of the rain, an aversion to dogs, and a penchant for catnip." Plagg said as if it was nothing. "Oh, and you will occasionally purr when really happy but only when receiving affection from someone you love. It's a natural process for those who wield the miraculouses. Though Master Fu claims likewise, one of the secrets to his longevity is the Bleeding Effect of the Turtle Miraculous giving him longer life. Don't worry, the way the miraculouses were designed were to enhance traits their animals have that would be beneficial to humans so only the Turtle and Dragon Miraculouses can grant longevity. Otherwise most of the Miraculous Holders, especially the Ladybug, Bee and Moth Miraculouses, would have seriously limited longevity."

"Huh, I guess that makes sense." Adrien said as he thought about what Plagg had just told him. "I mean, my smell is much better now than it ever was. Course it isn't as good as it is while transformed."

"And it never will be." Plagg said finally hovering over to join him. "Only a portion of the enhancements bleed into humans. You will never get as much as you would while transformed, just as Ladybug will never be as seriously affected by the cold when she is in civilian form when compared to the hindrance it is when she is Ladybug, though she should start to want more sugar in her food once the effect begins. The aversion to cold is one of the more negative traits she has and likely there to balance her power as only my power can match hers, though it is the polar opposite power. Now, all this being said, as my human you will gain more enhancements and a larger portion of said enhancements than any of the other holders."

"Wait, what?" Adrien asked surprised. "Why is that?"

"Because the force of magic and human creation that I am tied to is destruction." Plagg said, something Adrien knew very well at this point. "I am the magical embodiment of it. Many things are destroyed over time by corruption of their structures from within or outside elements. While this doesn't actually destroy you, the very nature of my power allows for the Bleeding Effect to be more pronounced in you than it would in Ladybug or Master Fu or Hawk Moth. The effects also take hold faster than they would in the other Miraculous Holders because of my power of destruction. It's still about a year away for Ladybug or Hawk Moth to start feeling the Bleeding Effect."

"Oh ok." Adrien said. He understood the basics of what Plagg was getting at and decided to leave it at that. "And there is nothing I can do about this?"

"Nope, it is a natural occurrence that happens to all Miraculous Holders who use their miraculous for extended periods of time." Plagg said with a nod. "Just keep it a secret and hope nothing noticeable happens as part of the Bleeding Effect, hence why it is necessary to keep it a secret as it might give away your secret identity to someone who knows what to look for. Fortunately for you it will just make you more hesitant of the rain, rationally afraid of thunder, and put off a few dogs unless catnip is around or Ladybug hugs you when you aren't Cat Noir and you start purring. Now Hawk Moth on the other hand, well one of the Moth Miraculous' bleeds is that butterflies and moths are naturally attracted to him no matter where he is."

"Alright, I guess I can live with this, it does come with some benefits after all." Adrien said as he got up and yawned. "I'll keep it a secret, even from Ladybug while with her. Don't worry Plagg, I won't say anything about this to anyone but you. Now I am off to bed, you can do whatever it is you had planned."

"Will do boss." Plagg said with a lot of joy in his voice and an attempt at a salute that didn't work very well. "Hello Lady Camembert and then hello Hades's undead gladiatorial bash, hosted by his son, the Guardian of Bones."

Adrien decided it was best to ignore whatever his kwami was up too and hit the hay. He had just learned something that sounded both wonderful and ominous at the same time. Hopefully it wouldn't affect his life that much when he was at school. After all, what was the worst that could come now that he was experiencing the Bleeding Effect?

* * *

"'Sup dude." Nino said as Adrien entered the classroom.

"Not much, just the usual." Adrien said to his best friend as he put his bag down on the desk. What was up was something Adrien couldn't tell anyone, not even Nino.

Adrien then sat down next to Nino, fist bumped him, and got his books out for class. Adrien had woken at the usual early hour, had his solitary breakfast as Nathalie told him what his schedule was for the day, and gone to school. The entire time, Adrien had been testing his suddenly heightened senses. The results had been mixed.

While is smell and sight had improved, he had been able to see clearly when he had woken up in the middle of night to use the bathroom without needing a light, his hearing had only marginally improved. Adrien assumed that had something to the odd cat ears his costume gave him, which meant that those ears had more than just a cosmetic purpose apparently. By contrast, his taste had gotten slightly worse, the usually fine foods his personal chef served him were slightly off. Adrien hoped the one sense that his power diminished wasn't too badly affected by the Bleeding Effect of his miraculous as he did like to enjoy his food.

Adrien was just catching up with Nino when he smelt it. The smell hadn't reached the classroom yet, but it was unmistakable, and it was defiantly heading to their classroom. Adrien would notice that scent of baked bread, chocolate, sugar, a small amount of perfume, and fresh fabric anywhere. It was Ladybug's scent.

Adrien instantly perked up, his trepidation about the sudden enhancements of his senses all of a sudden gone. Somehow he was about to find out who his lady was, and she was heading straight for his class. The scent got stronger as the Adrien's slightly increased sense of hearing heard the running footsteps of who he assumed was Ladybug in civilian form. Seconds later the door burst in and the person who smelled like Ladybug burst into the classroom and fell flat on her face. It was Marinette.

It took all of Adrien's self-control not to react as Marinette got up and apologized for being late to school. Was it really Marinette who was Ladybug? As Adrien thought about it, the idea became more plausible. Marinette had never been akumatized, she had never been seen with Ladybug though Ladybug knew who she was, Marinette always knew what was going on with the akumas despite almost never present during an attack, and above all else, Marinette suddenly looked a lot like Ladybug minus the mask.

For some reason, Adrien had never realized how similar Marinette was to Ladybug. However, the more he thought about it, the more Adrien could see Marinette as Ladybug. They had the same color hair, same strange twin pigtail style, same shade of blue in their eyes and similar body types. Adrien decided to confirm with Plagg tonight, but he was certain that Marinette was Ladybug.

With that revelation Adrien sat back and decided to test his new sense of smell. What he discovered shocked him almost as much as Marinette being Ladybug. Alya had scent of fine food, exotic animals, and something that Adrien couldn't quite place but thought had something to do with little kids. Whatever it was, it was the same scent that he had smelled on Rena Rouge the few times they had been aided by the fox themed hero. In addition, Nino had a similar sent to the newest Miraculous Holder to appear when they had faced Anansi the other day, Carapace.

This was all too much to deal with right now. Adrien decided to push all this out of his mind and try to focus on school at his extra curriculars that he had to do after classes were done. He would sort all of this out later in his room with Plagg. For now, he had to focus on class.

* * *

"Well Plagg, is it true? Is Marinette Ladybug?" Adrien asked his kwami as soon as they were back in his room after fencing practice. Adrien was supposed to be practicing his piano but he was using his phone to fake it while he discussed something much more important with his kwami.

"Adrien, you know that this is one of the few things I cannot talk to you about." Plagg said as he flew over to find his cheese. "All kwamis swear an oath of secrecy to not reveal the identity of other kwami's humans to our human and as such I plead the 5th. It's a magically binding oath that we cannot break or else we face some nasty consequences. I've broken the oath at least 18 times at last count, though I have admittedly lost track of how many times at this point, and each punishment was worse than the last. Though that might be due to the debts I keep accumulating between each violation."

"So, under what circumstances can you confirm her identity." Adrien said a little frustrated at his kwami's reluctance to confirm his suspicions. "Cos I am not above bribing you."

"Alas, this is one of the few things that I cannot be bribed with cheese." Plagg said shaking his head. "As much as I love being bribed as I am very corruptible, this is something that I am incorruptible on. Well only after the 5th time I was bribed for the info you seek and Ammit, the Egyptian devourer of souls, decided to make me her play thing for a few decades when I wasn't needed by my human at the time. Admittedly I had accidentally destroyed her favorite chew toy at some point prior so I owed her, but still it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Very well if you cannot be bribed, then what can you do?" Adrien asked deciding not to question what the hell Plagg was going on about.

"I can tell you if there is no other option but to reveal the secret." Plagg said instantly. "So, say you had to remove the ring and gave it to Ladybug's civilian identity and then she ran off to deal with an akuma before you could get it back, I could let her know and not be in violation of the oath. Or if say Ladybug's civilian form was in prison and couldn't transform to deal with an akuma I could reveal who she was. I could also confirm it if you could provide me with proof that Marinette is Ladybug. If you can prove that you have figured out Ladybug's identity, then I can confirm your suspicions. Providing I accept the evidence you provide to support your theory."

"Does me smelling her unique scent as Ladybug when I am Cat Noir and then the same scent on Marinette today in class due to the Bleeding Effect count?" Adrien asked, clearly he would have to provide the flimsy proof he had for Plagg to either confirm or deny his suspicion. "Cos that's my proof. I have the same identifications on Alya and Nino as Rena Rouge and Carapace respectively, though I must admit I am not as well acquainted with their scents as I am with Ladybug's."

"Oh, that is your proof that Marinette is Ladybug." Plagg said his eyes widening slightly. "Yeah that would probably count as acceptable evidence to prove your suspicion. I'll have to confirm it with Guardian of Magic late, he's the being I had to make the oath to upon my creation, but he should be fine with how you have discovered Ladybug's identity."

"Well, can you confirm it?" Adrien asked a little annoyed at Plagg skirting the question.

"What? Oh yes, Marinette is Ladybug." Plagg said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "As for the other two, I cannot confirm your suspicions but not for lack of admissible evidence. I haven't seen their humans with my own eyes, well Wayzz's temporary holder during that last akuma attack as his normal holder is Master Fu."

"Very well, they aren't as important as knowing who Ladybug is." Adrien said as he digested Plagg's confirmation.

"So that means that the girl you're in love with is Marinette." Plagg said. "Seeing as she is Ladybug."

"Huh?" Adrien said confused at what Plagg was getting at for a moment before it began to really sink in what learning Ladybug's secret identity meant.

Adrien had been so focused on confirming that Marinette was Ladybug the he hadn't thought about the full implications of the revelation. As Adrien let Plagg's words sink in, the full implications of the revelation became apparent to him.

Adrien knew he was in love with Ladybug ever since they had faced Hawk Moth's avatar on that bridge, and as such he was in love the girl under the mask because she was the one who had been trusted by Master Fu with the power of creation. That meant that he had to be in love with Marinette. The more Adrien thought about it, the more he realized that Plagg was right, he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"You're right Plagg." Adrien said after he had thought about the full implications of finding out who Ladybug was. "I am in love with Marinette."

"Adrien, I am always right." Plagg said with as much narcissism as he could muster, which was a lot more than Adrien thought was possible for the narcissistic little kwami. "When will you learn that?"

"Keep dreaming you little imp." Adrien joked.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Plagg asked bringing their conversation back on topic. "You can't very well just tell her you are in love with her, she might freak out at that. You also can't just tell her that you are Cat Noir or that you know her secret, at least not right away. So, what's the plan?"

"I need to spend some more time with Marinette." Adrien said as he thought about what to do about the girl he loved. "I need to find an excuse that dad will buy so that I can really get to know Marinette, I barely know her at the moment other than from what I have learned at school. Then I can wait for the right moment to tell her the truth of who I am and that I love her and hope she reciprocates those feelings."

"That's a good idea." Plagg said with a nod. "Only issue is your father."

"True but I think I have an idea how to get him to allow me to spend some time with her." Adrien said as the idea slowly came to his mind.

"Oh, what is that?" Plagg asked curiously. "Remember I am the brains of this operation."

"Whatever you say." Adrien said with a smile. "I am going to use Marinette's passion and skill for fashion to persuade dad to allow her to create a few outfits for me to wear in my next photo shoot. That way I will have to spend some time with her."

"Well good luck." Plagg said as he began to float away. "While you are doing that, I have a meeting with a head, a fountain of knowledge and a dealer of information. Mimir and I have some deals to make to settle a few of my outstanding pachinko debts."

"Have fun." Adrien said ignoring Plagg's alleged activities.

Adrien had something more important to deal with right now. Somehow, he had to persuade his father to let Marinette make him a few designs, something that was easier said than done. However, if this worked then it would be worth it if he was able to finally be with the girl he loved.

* * *

"Father, you know that this is a good idea." Adrien said trying to not let the anger into his voice.

Adrien had been trying to persuade his father of his idea to have Marinette make him some outfits for a few minutes. His father had just been dismissive of the idea, not even giving it a second's thought. It was typical of his father to just brush off anything Adrien tried to suggest because in Gabriel Agreste's mind, only he knew best.

"Now son, you don't need any other designer to make you clothes to model." Gabriel Agreste said not even looking up from his computer. "My work is perfect."

"But father, this will be part of your line." Adrien pointed out. "I will model Marinette's work to show some young, upcoming designer who you could have exclusive access too, Marinette gets exposure for her work, and she is my age, so she knows what will sell to my generation. As great a designer as you are, and I know you are the best in Europe if not the world, you and your team aren't around my age. Adding someone like Marinette who is a gifted, local, unknown designer will allow you to get an edge into the youth market and see what sells."

"Sir, your son does have a point." Nathalie said looking up from her clipboard. "Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng is a talented designer for her age, arguably one of the best in Paris in that age range, and as she is in Adrien's class, his friend and very well acquainted with your style, I believe that she could be useful to the line, providing she can prove herself."

"She's the one who won that hat design contest a few years back, right?" Adrien's father asked before narrowing his eyes at Adrien. "And the one who picked up the grimoire you took from me that made me get akumatized."

"Er, yes that would be her." Adrien said nervously. He had no idea where his father was going with this.

"Nathalie, could we use one of her designs as a test?" Gabriel asked his assistant. "If I recall, the hat was pretty impressive given the challenging and outdated style of it."

"We could." Nathalie said looking over her clipboard. "We would have to pay her for the rights to the outfit and reimburse her for the materials, within reason of course, but we could contract her to make a new outfit for Adrien to model at his next photo shoot. Then we can gauge the public's reaction to it in his upcoming appearance in that teen fashion mag you own. If it appears to be popular, and most of the clothes that Adrien models do become popular, then we go ahead and commission the design and bring Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng in as the designer, at our usual rates for someone of her age. If not, then we know that the style doesn't work for the youth and still own the rights to the design should it eventual become popular. However, I have seen her skill and know how close she is to Adrien, and I agree with Adrien, she could easily do this."

"Very well, as she is a minor sort it out with her parents." Gabriel said with a sigh still not looking up from his computer. "I trust that you know what to do. Once that is sorted then Adrien can go to hers for fitting and to help with the design, when both have the time as Adrien's other responsibilities come first. And Adrien."

"Yes father." Adrien said neutrally trying not to show his happiness at persuading his father with this cause of action.

"Tell your friend, no damn pigeon feathers this time."

"Yes father." Adrien said. "If that is all I will leave and let Marinette know."

"Yes, but you will not go until all the contracts are sorted out." Gabriel said.

Adrien just nodded at his father's words, turned, and left the office. He had to call Marinette and let her know the good news. Hopefully she would be up for this task, it was a chance to showcase her skill and it was his chance to spend some more time with her so it should be a win win for both of them. She was a fan of his after all, so he presumed she would say yes to the offer, she had been very enthusiastic about coming to a photo shoot with him after all. Now he just had to find the right moment to confront her about being Ladybug, about how he was Cat Noir, and about her being the love of his life. No pressure.

* * *

Marinette was currently freaking the fuck out. It had been a week since she had received Adrien's call about making him an outfit for a future photo shoot. Naturally, she had said yes and fainted as soon as he hung up, after saying that his father's assistant had to sort out a few things with her parents. It had taken Tikki a while to bring Marinette back to her senses.

What Nathalie and her parents had sorted out had turned out to be the fee for her services and the rights to her design, something she would have done for free, the exposure, the experience, and the alone time with Adrien, but she wasn't going to complain about the money either. Marinette had, for her part, spent the week alternating between freaking out about the opportunity and going through her personal notebook of designs specially drawn for Adrien and making sure that she had all the materials that she for the outfit she had in mind.

Now, though, it was time for Adrien to come over for their first session together in making the outfit. That had been relatively easy to sort out. School had just started for the semester so the school work hadn't begun to crush Marinette just yet, there hadn't been an akuma attack since Anansi, so she had been able to keep atop of her work, and everything else in her life had been relatively peaceful. So as soon as the time was available for both of them, they had scheduled their first private session to work on the design. Adrien was due to arrive any moment and Marinette was really nervous about how to handle it.

Fortunately, Marinette's parents were out for the day helping cater an event for Jagged Stone, so she had the place to herself. That way they wouldn't embarrass her while she was with Adrien like they had done last time. She had also made sure to hide the photos of him that were under her bed and in her chaise. He knew about the ones on her wall from that train wreck of a reality show, so she kept those up.

Marinette had managed to convince him that it wasn't because she was madly in love with him but still it could be awkward if he found some of the more hidden photos and where she had hidden them, under her mattress was a hard place to explain away why she had pictures of Adrien there. She had also hidden the framed one she kept on her desk so as to not creep him out with the heart shaped frame she was currently using.

All she had to do was to avoid becoming a complete mess around him and she would be good. Perhaps she could even tell him of her crush or at least try to ask him out to a movie while he was there, however that was a long shot at best.

Marinette was still pacing her living room when she heard the doorbell and knew that Adrien was outside, though that didn't stop her from jumping in surprise and landing in a heap on the floor. Getting up, steeling herself and trying to inject as much confidence as she had when she was Ladybug into her civilian life so that she could talk normally to him, Marinette opened the door.

"Hey A-Adrien." Marinette stuttered out. "Glad here you, I mean glad you are here."

"Hey Marinette." Adrien said with his usual smile that always made Marinette blush. "Glad to be here. Are your parents in?"

"No, they are out catering an event." Marinette said as she mustered all her confidence to talk normally to Adrien. "So, it's just us."

"Shame. They made a good salmon and spinach pie last time." Adrien said though he was still smiling so Marinette knew that he wasn't too upset. "But it is probably for the best. We don't want any interruptions now, do we?"

"None." Marinette said with a nod and an internal sigh at the thought of no interruptions while with Adrien. "Once I am in the zone for my work, it is best to not bother me. Especially when I have pointy or sharp objects in my hands. You know how clumsy I am normally. I don't want to be surprised when I am sowing, or god forbid using scissors."

"I will do my best to not distract you." Adrien said as they began to head up the stairs to Marinette's room.

"Your beauty and kindness will always distracts me." Marinette muttered as the opened the trapdoor to her room.

"What was that?" Adrien asked. "I didn't catch that."

"What!" Marinette said going bright red and seizing up when she realized that Adrien had almost heard her statement on him. Fortunately, she was further into her room and he didn't walk into her when he arrived and closed the trap door behind them. "Oh, I was just muttering to myself about what style to go with."

"Oh ok, well as close to father's brand as possible would be best, but something that would appeal to our age range as well." Adrien said as he went to look at the photos of him on her wall, studying them intently. "You know, something that the guys in our class would like, nothing as fancy as what Chloe prefers. Something that is fashionable, approachable, and affordable."

"Don't worry, your father is my favorite fashion designer." Marinette said as she recovered from her near slip up and went to find her special design book for Adrien. "I am well versed in your father's style and what you model for him. I can probably make something similar with a little Marinette flair that would appeal to our generation while sticking true to the Agreste line."

"I can see you are well versed in what I wear." Adrien said with a grin as he looked over the photos from some of his more popular magazine spreads, all very recent.

"Yes, well I am into fashion." Marinette stammered out as she got the book and felt her cheeks heat up.

She didn't want to admit to Adrien that she already had what Gabriel Agreste was looking for and had for years, she had just been adding to the designs over time. Fashion did change from year to year and Gabriel Agreste always set those changes.

"I have a few ideas if you would like to look over them." Marinette said as she approached Adrien who finally stopped looking at the photos of himself on her walls. "Here in one of my many scrapbooks for possible designs. This is one I have for male clothes. I'm not as good with men's outfits as women's but I have been studying your shoots for a while so I am familiar with the style."

"Can I see them?" Adrien asked, and Marinette nodded and handed him the book, praying that he would like the designs. "No more pigeon feathers though, right?"

"None, not after last time." Marinette said with a nervous laugh. "Sorry about that, I didn't even know that one could be allergic to them until I saw you sneezing at the hat."

"It's ok, I try not to discuss my personal life in magazines." Adrien said with a smile as he began to look over the book. "I try to be private as much as possible but around friends I am very open." Adrien paused at a page of the scrapbook. "I like this one."

Adrien had pointed to a design near the back of the book. It was one of her newer designs that she had drawn in the last week so as to be in keeping with the latest styles of the Agreste line.

"That is one of my more recent ones." Marinette said getting as close as she dared to Adrien and looking at the drawing.

"It fits what my dad is looking for." Adrien said with a smile. "Can you make it?"

"Of course." Marinette replied happily. "I just need to go get the materials and then I can measure you. I'll be back in a moment. Wait here."

Marinette turned and left her room to get what she needed from where she stored the materials she used to make clothes. So far all was going well. She was in her element and her confidence and calm around Adrien had returned, a rarity for her. Now she just had to keep it and hope nothing untoward happens while she was out of her room. As far as she could remember she had hidden anything that was clear evidence of her crush on him so as far as she knew she was safe. One day she would tell him, but today was not going to be that day.

* * *

Adrien stood in Marinette's bright pink room, looking around the cozy space. His enhanced smell had allowed him to know that she was Ladybug, even without Plagg's confirmation a week before. Now Adrien just needed to find the right moment to talk to her and confront her about her secret and reveal his own in return. However, he had no idea when that moment would come.

As Adrien was looking around, a flicker in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Marinette's computer suddenly powering up. Adrien could have sworn that as he had turned to look at the computer, a pink blur had shot away from it, but he wasn't entirely sure he had seen it correctly. That thought left his mind as soon as he saw the wallpaper on Marinette's computer. It was a collage of pictures of him, all taken from their time together at school, and all with bright pink hearts around them.

Glancing at the trapdoor to make sure that Marinette wasn't coming back, Adrien went over to inspect the images on the computer. There was no doubt that it was him in the pictures and the way it had been set up also left little to interpret the meaning of the wallpaper. Adrien may not have been the best at picking up female subtlety but when the evidence was so clear that he couldn't believe anything else, well even he got this hint. Marinette clearly had a huge crush on him.

Adrien smiled at the pictures on the computer screen. This made his life and decisions a lot easier. Now, he knew that he had to tell her the truth, the whole truth. That meant that Adrien hat to tell Marinette that he was Cat Noir, that he knew that she was Ladybug and that he was in love with her. There was no doubt in his mind that those feelings were definitely reciprocated. Sending a silent prayer to whatever deity, if any existed, that had caused Marinette's computer to suddenly power up and show him this, Adrien turned the computer off so as to not alert Marinette and waited for her to return. The time for the truth had come.

A moment later Marinette was back. She had a role of fabric in her arms and in classic Marinette fashion, she tripped over the last step and fell face first onto her carpet, sending the materials everywhere and knocking over a few things in her room. Adrien was by her side in a moment and helping her gently to her feet.

"You ok?" He asked softly, neither seemed to want to let go of the other's hands once she was standing. Adrien wasn't complaining though.

"Yeah." Marinette replied, and Adrien noticed a slight blush grace her cheeks. "I'm used to it. As you know, I am not at all graceful."

"Well so long as you are ok." Adrien asked as he inhaled and smelt the trace of her perfume. "What perfume is that by the way? I know I have smelt it before."

"Oh that." Marinette said, still blushing. "That's just the female line your father makes, _Emilie_ I believe it is called. I am such a fan of his work that I thought I should try it and I liked it. I only use a little, the bakery masks the smell most of the time."

"Yeah I can smell the fresh bread, chocolate and sugar mixed in, I like it, it's very you." Adrien said causing Marinette's blush to deepen and her to look away, he would tell her at a later date that the perfume she used was named after his missing mother. "It's a smell I have smelt a lot, though usually I only smell it on one person; Ladybug."

"What?" Marinette asked, and Adrien felt her suddenly stiffen and her eyes went wide in panic, though she still refused to let go of his hands. "H-how, w-would you know what L-Ladybug smells l-like?"

"I know it very well and it is the exact same scent I smell on you." Adrien said as his smile widened, it was time for the big reveal. "My smell is as good as a cat's after all, m'lady."

At this Marinette went absolutely rigid. Slowly she turned her head and looked him in his eyes. Her bluebell ones were wide in fear and recognition at what Adrien had just said. There was no way that she was going to be able to deny or talk her way out of any of this.

"C-Cat N-Noir?" Marinette's asked. "H-how did you f-figure it out."

"I am indeed Cat Noir, bugaboo." Adrien said with a wide smile. "And I figured it out last week when I discovered that my sense of smell had improved in human form as well as when I was Cat Noir. I know your scent from working with you for years, it's imprinted on my nose. So, when I smelt the same scent on you in class, as well as Rena Rouge's on Alya and Carapace's on Nino, I knew that you were my lady and the woman I love. I was just waiting for the right time to tell you and seeing as I have finally gotten the hint that you like me as Adrien Agreste, well now was that time."

"Y-you l-love m-me?" Marinette asked shocked.

"I do, Marinette." Adrien said with a smile.

That broke Marinette's rigid pose and the next thing that Adrien knew she was kissing him with a passion that he could only try to match but try he did. After a few moments they broke apart and Marinette looked into his eyes again, this time Adrien only saw love in her bluebell eyes.

"I love you too, kitty." Marinette said softly. "And have for a very long time."

Adrien just smiled in response, bent down and kissed her again. Sure, they had some work to do but for now, they had a moment to share together, a moment both had dreamed of for a long time.

They were so engrossed in each other that neither noticed Tikki hovering by Marinette's once again turned on computer beaming at the new couple or Plagg next to her just staring blankly at Tikki's actions in open mouthed shock. Neither Adrien not Marinette noticed their kwamis, at this moment all that mattered in the world was each other and their love.

 **I dunno if this theory works but it was an idea I had and decided to use as a bonus oneshot. As my own harshest critic, I always see the oneshots that I have thought up as inferior to the prompts that are suggested as I am not as creative at coming up with great situations for a oneshot reveal fic but I owed y'all a bonus oneshot and I hope I have delivered on that. This week's regularly scheduled oneshot (likely to be released on Saturday) will likely be the second Basic Class oneshot in this series as it is a short and sweet one, next week's (oneshot 29) will likely be another Epic Class oneshot.** **Anyway,** ** **that is all for** ** **this post chapter note. As always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the longer this series will go on for. Do keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next time.********

 ** ** ** **Stringdog********


	28. Puns

**Here is the 28th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is another one of the several oneshots (as are the next 6 in this series under my first come first serve policy) that has been suggested by the same loyal follower who has suggested an incredibly diverse range of prompts for me to try and work on. I apologize in advance for both the title and my terrible attempt at cat puns, again, as they are not my specialty but I have done the best I can. Anyway, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Puns.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Puns** **\- During lunch break, Alya manipulates Marinette into inviting Adrien over for lunch, much to Marinette's embarrassment. At lunch, Marinette's father makes a cat pun and Adrien can't help but get involved, to Marinette's annoyance and continued embarrassment. Some of those cat puns are unique and ones that Marinette hasn't heard Cat Noir ever use, until that night on patrol. How will Marinette handle Cat Noir repeating cat puns her father had made up that day?  
**

* * *

 **Puns**

The school bell rang to signal the end of morning classes and the beginning of the 1-hour lunch break before the afternoon slate of classes. Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien all left the classroom and began to head to the courtyard of their school to enjoy their break.

"So, what are you two doing for lunch?" Alya asked Marinette and Adrien, Marinette easily picking up Alya's less than subtle hint that Marinette should do something with Adrien over lunch. "Cos Nino and I have a planned romantic lunch nearby."

"We do?" Nino asked to which Alya proceeded to elbow him hard in the ribs. "I mean yes, yes we do. So, dude and dudette, what are you two going to do?"

"Probably head home as always." Adrien said with a sad sigh. "One of dad's many rules. He likes me home during lunch whenever possible. I know why but it makes no sense to me. I can easily just get lunch here and not have to be driven home. I hate it how he keeps me cooped up in the house as much as possible."

"Well why don't you go with Marinette to hers for lunch?" Alya asked giving Marinette a cheeky wink causing Marinette to blush, stutter and stumble all at once while also feeling sorry for her love's home situation. "She's only a few blocks away and her parents are always in for lunch and welcoming to guests. Usually I join her, but I am busy today."

"It's up to Marinette." Adrien said turning to gaze at her. Marinette was just stunned at the situation Alya had expertly manipulated them into. "I should be able to swing it, providing my bodyguard follows me."

"O-Of course y-you can c-come over if y-you want." Marinette stuttered out weakly. "My parents always too much food make, I mean make too much food but that's cos they are bakers and love to cook and well bake."

"I'd like that Marinette, beats eating alone at home." Adrien said with a smile and Marinette's feet went from under her and she face planted on the floor.

"I think that's a yes." Alya said with a chuckle as she helped Marinette up. "Well, we will see you in class after lunch. Have fun."

Marinette hadn't realized that they had already made it to the steps outside school until Alya had helped her up from the floor. Now she had to be very careful as she walked down them what with Adrien coming over for lunch, thanks to Alya. Marinette knew that she would thank Alya later for sorting this out, but right now she was pissed at Alya for springing this on her.

Once they had all reached the bottom of the stairs, Alya grabbed Nino's arm and dragged him away leaving just Marinette and Adrien at the bottom of the steps. Marinette was going to say something when a horn blared, and she looked over to see Adrien's bodyguard at his car waiting for Adrien and about to get out to open the back door for Adrien.

"I'm going to Marinette's for lunch." Adrien called to his bodyguard and then pointing at Marinette. "It's nearby, the bakery we always go to, so just follow me there and wait."

The gorilla of a man just grunted at this and turned the car around, seemingly appeased by the sudden change of plans. Marinette was always curious as to why he wouldn't talk but she didn't think it was her place to ask Adrien about it.

"Well, shall we go?" Adrien said with a smile breaking Marinette's thoughts causing her to look over to her crush.

That was when she noticed he had offered her his arm. Smiling and blushing like, well a schoolgirl with a massive crush, she took it and they walked to her house. She didn't know why Adrien had offered her his arm, it was probably just a friendly gesture ,but she was glad for it and not just because it allowed her to be close to him. No, it also prevented her from falling flat on her face no less than 13 times, ironically a baker's dozen, before they reached her apartment. Marinette blamed that on a mixture of her natural clumsiness and the fact that she was so close to Adrien at that moment.

They had made small talk the entire way so by the time that they did reach the front door Marinette was a little calmer and more herself around Adrien than usual. Reluctantly releasing Adrien's arm, she unlocked the front door and went in. That was when she suddenly realized that she had not told her parents that she was bringing Adrien, who they knew she had a massive crush on, over for lunch.

Mentally slapping herself for the mistake, she just hoped it wouldn't be a problem for her parents. Of course, in her parents' classic fashion, their response was friendly, inviting and highly embarrassing.

"Marinette, you appear to have brought over a handsome young man for lunch." Her mother said with a wide, knowing, smile to which all Marinette could splutter and cough at.

"I am sorry for my unannounced arrival Madam Cheng, Monsieur Dupain, but Marinette was kind enough to invite me over for lunch rather than going home for it as usual and I couldn't say no." Adrien said with a warm smile and a calm tone. Clearly, he was more practiced in sudden greetings than Marinette was.

"Of course, you are welcome." Sabine Cheng said as she greeted Adrien in the traditional French fashion. "All of Marinette's friends are welcome here. Please, call me Sabine."

"And it's Tom, Monsieur Dupain was my father." Tom Dupain said with a laugh shaking Adrien's hand. "Good to see you again Adrien. Don't worry we have more than enough food but probably not enough time for a round of Mecha Strike III."

"You are too kind." Adrien said, and Marinette could hear the relief and happiness in his voice at being accepted into her home. She knew that Adrien's father would never be like this and this was something Adrien always wanted from a family. "If there is anything I can do to help let me know. We can reschedule that game for another time, if you are as good as Marinette is then it will be a fun match."

"She learned everything from me, Tom Style." Tom side as he struck a heroic pose that caused Marinette to groan and Adrien to chuckle. "So it will be a good game, when we can play it."

"You can play your games another time." Sabine said with a slight shake of her head at the boys and their video games. "Right now it is time for lunch."

"And as I said, if you need any help I am more than willing to help." Adrien said graciously. "You have been so kind to let me stay for lunch."

"No need my boy, the table is set, and lunch is almost ready so why don't you and Marinette just take a seat and wait, once Marinette sets out a place for you that is." Tom said with a smile as he went over to the kitchen. "I have made salmon and spinach pie today just like the last time you were here."

"Smell delicious." Adrien said as he took a seat, clearly a little uneasy at not helping while Marinette quickly grabbed a place setting for him, trying as hard as possible not to stumble and smash everything. "I remember it from last time I was here, it was the best I have ever had."

"Old family recipe passed down from my mother's side of the family, the Italian side, with a French twist of my own." Tom said as he pulled the large pie out of the oven, Marinette just managing to lay the additional setting in front of Adrien as her mother got some water and juice out of the fridge. "The secret is to substitute cheddar for Camembert in the crust. Gives the pie a nice, light taste given the soft, mild nature of one of our nation's finest cheeses."

For some reason Adrien looked a little taken aback by the reference to Camembert but he recovered quickly and poured some juice for Marinette and then himself. He also placed his hand into his jacket for some reason only to remove it a second later, an odd act. Marinette had no idea what it was all about but right now she was trying to avoid embarrassing herself, so she couldn't focus on Adrien acting slightly out of character for a few seconds.

"Camembert?" Adrien asked sounding a little confused. "I must say I am not the biggest fan of it, but it certainly works very well for the pie."

"It is an acquired taste." Sabine said as she sat down waiting for her husband to bring the hot food over. "I know it took me a while to get used to it after I first tried it. Tom loves it, especially on sourdough bread with some honey, but I only really eat it when it is mixed into other foods. Plus the smell always gets me."

"Well it is the cat's meow of cheeses." Tom said as he served them and sat down himself. Marinette groaned at the cat pun, but Adrien just laughed at it. "I see Adrien here appreciates my cat puns."

"Are you kitten me." Adrien said with a smile and Marinette just stared at him in shock, she had never heard Adrien use, or express an interest in, cat puns. "I love them. I even know a few pawsome ones myself."

"Clawver." Tom said as they all began to eat. "Let's see what purrns you have."

"Pawlease." Adrien replied. "I could go on furever."

"Please don't." Marinette muttered but she knew that she was too late. She was about to sit through a meal that would make Cat Noir jealous and proud at the same time.

Marinette was thrilled that Adrien was getting along so well with her dad but seriously, why did they have to have a cat pun off in front of her. She got enough of the infuriating puns from Cat Noir, who she had a patrol with tonight so even more puns for the day, she did not want to deal with them when she was at home.

"No need to be hy-purr-kitty-cal Marinette." Her father said to her. "Adrien and I are just having some fur-n. It is always a good idea to impress a girl's father when a boy meets him properly for the first time."

"That's a really good one Tom." Adrien said, clearly not getting her father's meaning as Marinette slowly began to die from a mixture of embarrassment and cat puns between her father and the boy she was in love with. "I might have to fur-row it."

Marinette knew that she had lost and resigned herself to the embarrassing spectacle that would be lunch as Adrien and her father got into a pun off and her mother occasionally whispered to her about how cute, well behaved and perfect Adrien was. Fortunately, her mother would be discrete enough so that Adrien had no idea what she was doing. At the very least Adrien was making a good impression so if they ever did end up together, he was already on a good footing with them.

"No need to be un-cat-fur-a-bell dear." Tom said patting Marinette on the back as lunch wound down. "You have found a punderful man here who understands, appreciates, and excels at the subtle art of word play. A good find in a man, Marinette."

"I am just a novice." Adrien admitted as he finished his food before giving her father a respectful nod as Marinette's embarrassment continued. "Especially in the presence of a meowster."

Tom gave a great laugh at that as Marinette just wished the end would come quickly now. She had no idea how it had come to all of this but someone it had. She was about to finish lunch with the boy she loved after he had impressed her parents, not realized the not so subtle hints they were giving out about her feelings for, and their approval of, him, and making cat puns that would have made Cat Noir blush with envy. Certainly, one of the weirder days she had ever had in her life, yet depressingly not the weirdest.

Fortunately, lunch was over so Marinette and Adrien helped clear and wash up before leaving. They still had 15 minutes to get back to school, which was plenty of time.

"Sorry about all the cat puns." Adrien said once they were walking back to school, again he had offered her his arm and she had happily taken it. "I couldn't help myself, your dad's just so infectious. It was a wonderful lunch, much better than I would normally have."

"Oh, it's ok." Marinette said blushing and kicking herself for feeling bad during lunch. It had made Adrien happy and that was all that mattered to her, even if it meant enduring more fucking cat puns than usual. "I'm glad you had a good time."

"I did, thank you." Adrien said before kissing her lightly on the cheek in thanks once they reached the classroom, right in front of Chloe who was now glaring even more hatred at Marinette. For once Marinette didn't even notice the stuck up, spoilt, blond girl, mainly because Marinette didn't notice much of anything after Adrien had kissed her.

Marinette was pretty sure that she had a goofy, love struck, look on her face for the day and that she had basically ignored everyone while she was stuck in her own little world. She was also sure she didn't breathe much over the next few hours. It had been a wonderful lunch, hopefully a step in the right direction with Adrien, with a nearly perfect ending. All that was left for the day was to help her parents after school and then go on patrol. Of course, those would be secondary thoughts after what Adrien had just done.

* * *

Marinette landed lightly on the designated roof top for tonight's patrol to find Cat Noir already there as always. She didn't know how he always beat her here, but it didn't matter, there were here and had work to do. Marinette wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. That way she could go back to fantasizing about Adrien.

"You are looking meowvelous as always, m'lady." Cat Noir said with a wide, cheeky grin to which Marinette just sighed.

"I'm in no mood for cat puns today kitty." She replied with a touch more heat than usual. "Let's just get to work."

"No need to get hy-purr-kitty-cal." Cat Noir said, not sounding annoyed in the slightest. "You know my puns are the cat's meow."

Marinette stiffened at the first pun Cat Noir had just said to her. It was one that Cat Noir had never used before and one that she had only heard once before. That had been by her father that very day during lunch with Adrien.

"What did you just say?" Marinette whispered softly and with as much venom as she could muster. There was only one possibility for how Cat Noir had heard that pun began in her mind.

"Hy-purr-kitty-cal?" Cat Noir asked, clearly confused at Marinette's sudden change of mood. "It's a new pun I heard today, I thought I would try it out. I didn't think it would make you un-cat-fur-a-bell."

That was it, there was no denying her theory after the second unique and new cat pun that her father had used that day. Cat Noir was stalking her and somehow had learned her secret identity, hence the stalking part. In one quick, well practiced, move she had snagged him with her yo-yo and pulled him close to her. His eyes went wide in fear and shock at her actions.

"M'lady, what are you doing?" Cat Noir asked, all his usual cheeky charm gone, replaced by worry and concern at what had just happened.

"Why are you stalking me." She hissed at him, letting the anger out. "I know you like me in a romantic way, but this is beyond acceptable. Even for you."

"What are you talking about?" Cat Noir asked sounding really confused at Marinette's words but she wasn't buying his act. "I would never stalk you, that's just wrong. I don't even know who you are under the mask."

"Bullshit." Marinette swore at him. "Those two long, annoying, cat puns are unique. I heard them today at lunch when my father and the boy I secretly love were exchanging annoying cat puns and both were made by my father. So, why are you fucking stalking me?"

* * *

Adrien was shocked at Ladybug's initial reaction. He was just using some of the new puns Top Dupain had used at lunch, there were better than any he had ever come up with after all. However, that all changed when Ladybug explained more, while she still had him tied up of course.

"Bullshit. Those two long, annoying, cat puns are unique. I heard them today at lunch when my father and the boy I secretly love were exchanging annoying cat puns and both were made by my father. So, why are you fucking stalking me?"

That was when it hit Adrien all at once. Those puns had been used earlier that day when he was with Marinette and her family at lunch. That could only mean that Marinette was Ladybug, and because he was Cat Noir he was able to figure the truth out from her sudden outburst. It only worked because he was Cat Noir and had been with Marinette earlier, but it had worked and it meant that he knew who his lady was under her mask. Of course, there was that whole secretly in love with him part that Adrien hoped against hope was true. Well no time like the present to ask.

"You love me Marinette?" Adrien asked.

"See, you do know who I am." Marinette confirmed before she realized what he had said. "Wait. What?"

"I said, you do love me Marinette?" Adrien asked again, this time smiling despite the situation as the anger left Marinette's blue eyes to be replaced by confusion.

"I, I love Adrien Agreste, not Cat Noir." Marinette said weakly.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said. It was best to just end this and deal with the situation head on.

* * *

Marinette was confused at what Cat Noir was getting at. He knew who she was, not that it was surprise to her after he had been stalking her earlier, but she didn't love him. She loved Adrien. So why was he going on about that? The answer came moments later when Cat Noir spoke his deactivation phrase.

"Plagg, claws in."

In a second, none other than Adrien Agreste was standing in front of her, a hesitant smile on his handsome face. Marinette's mouth fell open at the sight.

"Hey Marinette." Adrien said with a smile. "Could you, er, release me."

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said weakly and seconds later she was standing in front of him in her civilian clothes.

"Do you see now that I wasn't stalking you." Adrien said. "I was just repeating the puns from earlier. I'm sorry for the confusion but well I didn't know you were Ladybug so I didn't realize that you had already heard them and would jump to a fair conclusion."

"I see that now." Marinette said softly, looking away in shame. "I, I'm sorry I accused you. I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's ok." Adrien said, and she felt him take her hands in his, an action that caused her to blush furiously in both love and embarrassment at what she had done. "I forgive you. You wouldn't have revealed anything had I not been there nor would you have realized what I was saying had you not been Ladybug. I am glad that the truth is finally out though."

"I, I didn't mean to." Marinette muttered but if she was being honest, she was glad their secrets were out too. This also meant that Adrien liked her as well. "And yes, I do love you. Can't really deny that now can I? Though no matter what, I will never love those cat puns."

"They'll grow on you, bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile. "And I love you too, Marinette."

With that Adrien bent down and gently kissed her on the lips. In seconds the kiss deepened, and they were in each other's arms at last. There was probably a lot for them to discuss, but right now Marinette was enjoying the bliss of the moment and thanking whichever god looked out for her that her sudden, insecure, angry, emotional, outburst had led to her finally being with the boy she loved. For the moment, this was all that mattered to the heroes of Paris.

 **Another sub 4k word, short, sweet, Basic Class, oneshot for y'all, especially with what is in store for y'all what with next week's epic classed oneshot that will see the first appearance of probably one of the most polarizing characters in Miraculous Ladybug. For once there really isn't much else to add in my post chapter a/n. So a** ** ** **s always, please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the more unique oneshots I can try to write. Keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.********

 ** ** ** **Stringdog********


	29. Wraith

**Here is the 29th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. As with the last oneshot (and several future ones) this prompt was suggested by the same follower who has provided me with so many amazing prompt ideas for me to turn into oneshots in this series. This is another Epic Class oneshot, hopefully the penultimate on of this length but no promises. There will be a reappearance of a character from a previous oneshot, though as each oneshot is a separate entity, the main characters haven't met him/her before. Also, with the recent dropping of the 'Frozer' trailer this oneshot feels very apt right about now. Anyway, enough rambling, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Wraith.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Wraith:** **\- On her way back from patrol, Marinette is stopped by Luka who is seeking Ladybug's aid as he is dealing with a recurring problem. Luka claims that he is being haunted by a wraith. This wraith, in between inexplicable and impressive odes to cheese, is telling and threatening Luka to not pursue Marinette romantically as her heart belongs to another. Intrigued, Marinette decides to help Luka the next night in trying to catch this mysterious wraith. When the time comes, Marinette is shocked at what she catches and all the consequences that come from her decision to aid Luka.**

* * *

 **Wraith**

Marinette was swinging along the River Seine on her way home from another routine and uneventful patrol of Paris. She did these regular patrols with Cat Noir to show the city that its heroes were always vigilant and looking out for them, even if nothing much more than mundane aid was given. It was their presence that mattered. They reassured Parisians that they were safe from anything that might harm the city.

That was why Marinette literally fell from the sky, and right into the damn river, when she heard a voice calling out to her, asking for her aid. It was so rare that the citizens asked for her aid when there wasn't an akuma attack that she had lost her rhythm and gone for an unscheduled swim. This was not something she had planned for today and the Seine was not a great river to fall into, though not the worst.

Wet, disheveled, likely smelly, and not very heroically, Marinette swam to the edge of the river and began to haul herself out via a convenient ladder on the embankment. As she was doing this, a masculine hand with black nail polish reached down and on instinct Marinette grabbed it. The person helping her hauled her over the edge of the embankment wall to face first on the stone ground in a spluttering, wet, undignified, heap. At least she wasn't Cat Noir, he would be hissing right now if he had gone for an unscheduled swim.

"Sorry Ladybug, I didn't mean to startle you." A male voice that was familiar to Marinette but given her current state she couldn't quite place. "I just saw you swinging and called out. I could use your help. I have a bit of a situation that I think only you or Cat Noir could aid me with."

"What…for." Marinette said as she got to her feet and saw the teal tipped hair and gauged ears of the boy who had called out for her. It was Luka.

She had met Julia's older brother a few months back when she had been on the houseboat for the music festival in Paris, right before the Captain Hardrock incident. They had connected in a way that Marinette had only ever felt with one other person, Adrien. It wasn't as deep as her love for Adrien, but there was certainly a small crush there, a teenage infatuation if you will, and one that she was determined to hide and crush eventually.

It was wrong to her love for Adrien to have feelings for another guy, no matter how handsome, unique, and talented he was. It wasn't fair to Adrien and the chance she had with him to settle for someone else until she knew that Adrien didn't like her back, despite her feelings towards Luka. It also didn't help that Luka was friends with Adrien and that they were in the same band together, that was just uncomfortable for her and could cause a rift between her and Adrien if she started dating Luka. Regardless of her conflicting feelings, Luka was a citizen of Paris and needed her help, so she was going to help him.

"I've been having a slight problem and I think that you could help me with it." Luka repeated and that was when Marinette realized that the musician had been trying to speak to her for a few seconds as she stared blankly at him while her feelings ran rampant inside her. "After you helped my mother and my sister when they were akumatized, I thought that you would be able to me now."

"What's the matter, Luka, right?" Marinette as quickly as she tried to hide her blush. It didn't help that she was still soaking wet and dripping in front of him. "I am here to help all the citizens of Paris who are in need, no matter the problem."

"Thank you, Ladybug, and yes, it is Luka, I'm pleased that you remember me." Luka said with a soft smile that made Marinette's heart race just a little faster. "My problem is that for the last few months something strange has been happening to me, pretty much ever since my mother was akumatized."

"Ok, you have my attention." Marinette said both confused and intrigued as to what was going on. Luka sounded like it was really strange and given what Marinette had seen as Ladybug, strange almost always meant something supernatural.

"This will sound a little weird." Luka said hesitantly.

"Luka, I am a superhero whose power comes from a magical item called a miraculous that turns me into a ladybug themed heroine and who fights powerful villains created based of negative emotions by a moth themed super villain." Marinette pointed out bluntly. "I can handle weird. Can't really be any weirder than I have already seen."

"Ok good to know." Luka said before taking a deep breath. "Well, I'm pretty sure that I am being haunted by a ghost of some sort."

"Alright that is weird even for me." Marinette said her eyes widening in surprise. This was not what she had been expecting, not that she had been expecting anything. "I've never come across a ghost before. Troublemaker could go intangible and Vanisher was invisible but otherwise that's it, no truly ghost themed akumas. Are you sure that this is a ghost?"

"Well he calls himself a wraith and not a ghost but from what I understand it is roughly the same thing." Luka said as his usual calm demeanor returned despite the odd conversation topic. "Once you get through all the supernatural and fantasy RPG lore that has been created over the last few decades surrounding wraiths and get to the core of what a wraith actually is, which is just a dead spirit that haunts people, you see that wraiths and ghosts are effectively the same thing with the former being seen as more sinister and the latter more neutral. I believe the word is from one of the old Gaelic languages across the channel, Scotland or Ireland most likely but my research has been limited."

"Huh, yeah I don't know much about the term wraith other than that it is usually associated with death and horror." Marinette admitted and the shudder she suddenly felt was not from the cold water on her. "And as I don't like anything to do with the horror genre, I stay away from anything tied to it. What does this wraith want?"

"For me to stay away from this cute, sensitive, kind hearted girl in my sister's class." Luka said, and Marinette knew who Luka was talking about, but she had to ask.

"Who?" Marinette asked as neutrally as she could.

"She's called Marinette, do you know her?" Luka answered.

"Vaguely." Marinette replied as she tried to keep her conflicting emotions and feelings in check. "She hasn't been akumatized but has been the target of an akuma once or twice, if I recall correctly. Why does this wraith want you to stay away from her?"

"I think its cos I have a small crush on her." Luka said causing Marinette to try very hard not to react to the words. Her self control was waning with every statement Luka made, thankfully this was Luka and not Adrien or else Marinette would have lost her self control a long time ago.

"And she on me but I know that the romance would be fleeting." Luka continued as he brought Marinette back to the conversation at hand. "I can tell her heart already belongs to another. He is her soulmate, even if he hasn't realized it himself, and as such I would never get in her way like that. It wouldn't be fair or right for me to do so."

"Have you told this wraith that?" Marinette asked. She was almost certain that her heart couldn't beat any faster than it was at this very moment.

She didn't know how to feel about the fact that Luka liked her but knew that she was in love with someone else and was meant to be with him, with Adrien. It was sweet and kind of Luka to consider her love for Adrien. She knew that no matter what happened, she would always see Luka as a good friend and owe him for this. Still she had to find out more about this wraith and do whatever she could to help Luka.

"I have but he, and I am pretty sure that it is a he, doesn't care." Luka said shaking his head slightly. "He just keeps popping up every now and then, it's kind of hard to predict when he will show but it is at least once a week, and tells me to stay away from Marinette. The wraith keeps letting me know that he has several very powerful friends who owe him a few favors and who would 'fuck me six ways to Sunday' if I did anything to get in between Marinette and her one, true love. That's not all he does but it is a portion of it, the rest is just weird and wrong on more levels than I can count."

"Ok that is very strange." Marinette replied as she tried to figure this being out. She knew Luka to be an honest guy, so she would trust him, but this was still an odd tale and she had no idea what this wraith could be. "What else can you tell me? Size, color, anything would help."

"He's small, fast and black from what I can tell." Luka replied instantly. "I've never gotten a truly good look at him because he is so fast, basically just a black blur, and he can phase through items at will, hence why I think he is telling the truth about being a wraith or at least being a ghost of some sort. Normally he is hidden when he talks to me and whenever I try to film him nothing show up on my camera. I get the whole Marinette thing, I respect her to much to stand in the way of her love, and the wraith seems to have cooled down on that front, it's the other stuff that he does that is annoying me."

"Like what?" Marinette asked curiously. "What else other than asking you not to pursue a girl could he be saying?"

"Cheese." Luka replied.

"What?" Marinette asked stunned and confused at what Luka had said. "Cheese?"

"Yup, he is constantly ranting on and on about cheese." Luka said with a heavy sigh. "I wasn't a big fan to begin with but now I can't even look at the stuff. The wraith always reeks of Camembert, that scent lingers for a long time let me tell you, and when I asked about that he proceeded to recite an epic poem on that particular cheese to me, for 7 hours straight. That's not including the equally long sequels to that epic poem. The wraith constantly recites his various odes and dedications to the food product. Sometimes it is an epic poem that he claims puts the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid all to shame and is longer than the trio combined. Sometimes it's a play to cheese written in the Shakespearean style of iambic pentameter, or the play is a Greek Satyr play, or a musical, or god forbid an opera. Sometimes it is incredibly dirty and disturbing limericks about cheese, or haikus, or a song. I must admit the songs are good, but the wraith sings off key and in all genres; rock, jazz, country, opera, rap, blues, older styles that don't exist anymore, everything. It all depends on his mood when he shows up."

"That sounds very strange." Marinette said as she thought about it. She had no idea what this wraith was, but she was determined to find out if for nothing else to find out what the fuck it was and why it loved cheese so much. "Anything else?"

"Yeah sometimes when he shows up, on these occasions its always in the early hours, sounding very drunk." Luka said thinking for a moment. "Though never high. That is when he starts ranting about Hades, or Hel, or Osiris, or Tartarus or some being tied to bones or ghosts or the very night itself, along with other names that I think are underworld gods from a plethora of different mythologies, for some reason. Says that he was just partying with them and that they are the friends of his that he likes to hang with and who will fuck me up if I pursue Marinette. That's when he starts to rant about not pursuing Marinette and then devolves into a drunken, dirty, expletive laden, sailor song about cheese and the god who apparently created it."

"That sounds very weird and frustrating." Marinette replied once she had processed what Luka had said to her. She believed the wraith existed but she didn't believe any of the mythology claims, after all they were just myths.

"It is." Luka said with a nod. "It's why I need your help. I want to ask if you and Cat Noir will help catch and stop it."

"Of course I will help you." Marinette said kindly. "But I can handle this on my own, Cat Noir is too busy and this is something to small to bother him about. I will come tomorrow night and see if this wraith shows up and then we can catch and interrogate him."

"Thank you, Ladybug." Luka said gratefully.

"I am here to help any citizen that is in need." Marinette said as she began to swing her still wet yo-yo. "Until tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply Marinette launched the yo-yo at the nearest building and swung away, leaving a trail of water behind her and likely on Luka as well. It had been an odd but enlightening conversation with Luka, one that both made Marinette feel relieved that her love for Adrien wouldn't be cheated on with Luka and made her curious about the strange wraith apparition. However, that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now, she needed a hot shower and bed, she was cold and tired. Tomorrow night was going to be an interesting one, of that Marinette was sure.

* * *

Marinette had no idea what to expect when she had arrived at the Couffaine family's houseboat that night, but she was determined to find out about the alleged wraith. Tikki had been less than helpful that day when she had grilled her kwami on the idea of wraiths and ghosts, saying only that Cat Noir's kwami would know more as ghosts were associated with death and destruction not life and creation like her. Tikki had warned her not to go to Luka's and investigate as the kwami had a bad feeling about it but Marinette had ignored Tikki.

The mystery had intrigued Marinette all day. The more she thought about it, the less she understood. The idea that there were ghosts in the world was laughable, or at least it would have been laughable a few years back and prior to her getting her miraculous. Now, though, Marinette was much more willing to believe in strange, supernatural, and unexplained occurrences. There seemed to be a lot more to the world than she had originally thought. After all, magic in at least some form was real, the miraculouses were proof of that, so why couldn't ghosts be real as well.

As soon as night had fallen, Marinette had transformed and headed out of her room and to the houseboat. She had arrived at Luka's in a few minutes and he had let her in. Apparently, his mother was out at some anarchist meeting that would take all night and his sister was out on a date and likely not going to return from it.

Marinette had asked about the latter, ostensibly under the guise of polite curiosity, but in reality to find out more about one of her close friends. As far as Marinette knew, Juleka was not dating anyone and probably had a crush on Rose but had never admitted it to any of the girls at school. Luka had just said that Juleka had been tight lipped about it but seemed happy and excited for the date, so he wasn't going to question it. That was all Marinette was going to get out of him, so she had to settle for being led into the houseboat to conduct her stakeout for the wraith.

As nervous as Marinette was around Luka because of her slightly confusing feelings for him, she was determined to help him with his current problem. His confession yesterday that he wouldn't stand between her and her true love, even if he hadn't known it had been a confession to her, had helped reassure Marinette's conflicting feelings about the two boys she had feelings for. That was good as it meant that she could now do her job free of mental distractions.

Luka had hidden her under his desk as there weren't many places to hide her on the houseboat, despite the mess. Now it was all a matter of waiting to see if the wraith showed up. Marinette didn't know how long she would have to wait but Luka had said that the wraith hadn't shown up for a few days, so it was about time for another appearance from the mysterious being.

Luka was right. After only about 20 minutes of uncomfortably hiding under the desk while Luka meditated, Marinette heard a zooming sound and then the first few lines of a song.

"Cheese, glorious cheese. Hot Camembert and crackers."

The voice was singing in what Marinette was certain was Cajun French of all dialects and horrifically off key. Almost instantly the song changed to a country song glorifying cheese and the cows that made it on a cattle ranch in south Texas that if Marinette was hearing correctly, and she had to admit that Cajun French wasn't the easiest region dialect to understand, dated back to the days of the Alamo if not before. Marinette had to hand it to Luka, he wasn't wrong about the odd obsession with cheese that the wraith had.

"You're back." Marinette heard Luka say with an exhausted sigh at the arrival of the wraith. "I thought I told you already that Marinette is just a friend. I will not get in the way of her and Adrien sharing their love for each other. Those two are destined to be together forever, I can feel it in the universe."

"Yes, yes, I know that you are touched by the gods." The wraith replied keeping the strange and obscure French dialect for some reason, it was an exceptionally localized one almost never heard in Paris and on the brink of extinction so Marinette had no idea why the wraith was using it.

"Any child of Apollo should be able to sense the future in some manner, though you have inherited your father's prodigious musical skill and not his gift of prophecy or archery." The wraith continued, its words confusing Marinette as she wasn't aware that Luka had a father in his life. "Perhaps I can persuade you to write that four part cheese themed opera I want, your father won't no matter how drunk I get him."

"I've told you, I never knew my father." Luka said clearly annoyed at the wraith's words. "Neither did Juleka."

"I know, and I am telling you, son of Apollo, that I can sense your godly half, as a divine being I can sense divine blood even when that blood is mixed with that of a mortal." The wraith said. Marinette was confused at what the wraith was going on about but decided to ignore it and focus on trying to catch it. "Juleka is also a demigod, your mother must be something special to attract two different gods, but I cannot figure out her divine parent so I assume it one I don't know well enough to know his, or hers, divine essence. That is all beside the point of why I am here. You still haven't confirmed what you would do if Marinette asked you out."

"She won't ask me out and I won't ask her out." Luka replied. As much as Marinette wanted to spring, the time wasn't right, and she wanted to hear what Luka had to say on this particular subject. "She is conflicted between a teen infatuation with me and her deep and unbreakable love for Adrien. She believes that if she was to pursue me then she would be cheating on Adrien. I can tell that much from when she acts around the band, it is one of my gifts to be able to read people without the need of being told what they are thinking."

"And it would be cheating." The wraith said. "One day she will learn the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help her gods. So will Adrien, and then they will at last be together. Your ability to read people comes from your father, Apollo is very good at reading people though he tends to only focus on those he finds attractive."

"Truth?" Luka asked.

"None of your concern, the truth only concerns Marinette and Adrien and that they are." The wraith said dismissively. "Just remember my warning and that I have many, many, powerful friends. Now that I have your undivided attention, I have a brand new poem on cheese, it's 17,889 stanzas long. You get the pleasure of hearing it all. I expect it to take at least 4 hours, maybe longer as I am doing this from memory."

"Oh, the joy." Luka moaned.

The wraith didn't get a chance to begin however. At that moment it had, while zooming around the room, flown through the side of the desk and right into Marinette. Marinette didn't think, she relied on her heightened reflexes afforded to her by her miraculous to grab the small, black, so called wraith and leap out of her hiding spot with it in clasped in her fist in triumph. That was until she looked down at her fist and blanched at what she had captured.

In her hand, looking really pissed off but otherwise unharmed, was a jet black kwami with the distinctive features of a cat. There was no doubt as to who or what this wraith was. It wasn't a wraith or ghost at all, it was Cat Noir's kwami.

"Merde, looks like I've been caught." The kwami said resignedly as Marinette struggled to remember the name, she had heard it once before, back during the Dark Owl incident. "Well Ladybug, what do you have to say for yourself? Here I am helping you and you have gone and busted me for no good reason."

"Plagg, right?" Marinette asked and the kwami in her hand just nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette could see Luka just staring in confusion at what was going on.

"That is my name, a name that has been sung of in epic poems for millennia, so don't wear it out." Plagg confirmed. The kwami had finally switch to Parisian French like the rest of them. "Now please leave, me and Luka here have a poem to go over and your love life to look out for."

"Yes, about that." Marinette said coolly, not picking up on the fact that Plagg was addressing her as if she was Marinette. "Why are you trying to mess with my love life?"

"Because you love Cat Noir and he loves you back." Plagg replied simply. "Don't fight it and don't let this soon to be douchebag working as a barista at Starbucks while he fails to have a music career take you away from your one, true, love."

"Did Cat Noir set this up?" Marinette asked as the anger grew in her voice. She didn't know how her superhero partner had learned about her small crush on Luka, but she was damn sure that she would find out, he was not going to mess with her love life just because he couldn't have her. "Cos if he did then I will be very pissed. Just because I am not into him romantically, doesn't mean that he can prevent me from being with anyone. You're lucky that you are only messing with Luka, if you had been fucking with Adrien then we would have had some serious words."

"I would never do anything to harm Adrien or prevent him from being with you." Plagg denied though for some reason the kwami wasn't panicking. "I am trying to help you too and protect Adrien from losing you to this loser."

"Hey! Don't I get a say in things?" Luka asked reminding them that he was still there.

"No." Both Marinette and Plagg said in unison before Plagg added. "Now that Ladybug is here, this is between us, you have gotten the hint I hope. If not, well you may receive a visit from a man call Fracture who has a very unique skill, he can break any bone in your body and I mean any bone, he has a unique way with bones."

"Luka, just ignore this." Marinette said trying to sound more reasonable for him but still furious at the kwami in her fist. "I have to sort this out with Plagg and I am sure he didn't mean what he said."

"Oh, I meant it, the guy is uniquely talented when it comes down to bones, though he is limited to bones and some power over dead souls and shadow manipulation from his father." Plagg called out defiantly. "Though, admittedly he doesn't owe me any favors at this very moment, in fact I owe him a few favors and an ungodly amount of cash. That's beside the point here though. We are here to ensure that Ladybug's love life is looked after properly."

"Yes, it is." Marinette said turning her gaze to Plagg. "You were trying to deny that Cat Noir had any knowledge of this. I highly doubt that he is innocent in this, you are his kwami."

"Yes, well, this was all me, I take full credit for it. Cat Noir had nothing to do with it." Plagg said with a smirk that showed his pointed teeth. "I am protecting my human from having his heart broken because you decided to settle for this nobody when you could be with the boy you love. He loves you and you love him, it is as simple as that. I have been protecting him from losing you to a passing crush just as I have been protecting you from his passing crush. You and he are soulmates and I will do everything in my power to ensure that you two are together and not with partners who won't last. You think this textbook case of almost everything that is wrong with the millennial generation is the only person I have pretended to haunt. Think again sister."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked glaring at the kwami. Even if he was telling the truth, and she highly doubted he was, she was still going to rip into Cat Noir when she next saw him if for nothing else then the fact that he couldn't keep his damn kwami under control.

"He has a passing crush on that fencer and all around brilliant girl who you got akumatized, Kagami." Plagg said which caused Marinette to pause. As far as she knew Cat Noir had no feeling for Kagami, even if Kagami didn't like her very much, a feeling Marinette reciprocated given how she had caught Adrien's eye. "She's basically the female, Asian, version of him. Smart, talented, right, determined, from high class society and a powerful family, and socially ignorant of everything around her. I have been haunting her and dodging a sword for the first time in over 300 years, so as to keep her away from your love just as I am trying to keep Mr. dye job and nail polish away from his love. Cat Noir had nothing to do with any of this. So if you have to take your anger out on someone, then do so on me and not Cat Noir, he doesn't deserve to be punished for my independent actions."

This entire time, neither Marinette or Plagg had been paying much attention to Luka who was still sitting on his bed watching their exchange. As such, neither had noticed that Luka had been clearly listening too, and while confused, thinking about what they had been saying and come to a conclusion. It was a conclusion he suddenly blurted out.

"Marinette, I'm sorry for anything that I may have just caused." Luka said. As soon as Marinette heard her real name she glanced over at Luka and glared at him. Based on the feel of Plagg's head swivel, the kwami was also staring at Luka.

"I'm Ladybug, not Marinette." Marinette said trying to sound annoyed and not scared that her secret was suddenly out. Of course, the kwami in her fist had other ideas.

"Looks like the pretty boy with the ear plugs over there has more brains than I gave him credit for." Plagg said from her fist. "He deduced that who you were, well done pretty boy."

"You're not helping." Marinette said looking furiously at the unabashed kwami she was still holding.

"Marinette, it wasn't hard to figure out." Luka said soothingly, clearly trying to calm her down. "That black thing in your hand, the wraith or kwami or whatever it is, basically just gave you away."

"I did?" Plagg said surprised as his cat eyes began to dart around nervously as if he was expecting something or someone to come for him. "Merde. That probably won't be good for me in the near future."

"It wasn't hard to figure out." Luka said with a shrug. "You were coming here for months telling me not to pursue Marinette romantically and then, when caught today by Ladybug, and again I am sorry for all this as I was the one who asked for her help, you addressed Ladybug as if she was Marinette. You clearly knew who she was under the mask and it took only a little bit of listening to you two to deduce who she was. I may have dropped out of school at 16, but I am very observant of those around me."

"Clearly." Plagg grumbled.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said as she continued to glare at Luka while her transformation fell, her grip slightly tightening on Plagg but not enough to hurt the kwami. "Luka, you are to no breath a word of this to anyone understand?"

"I, I do." Luka replied with an audible gulp at the ferocity of Marinette's words. "I swear I won't tell anyone that you are Ladybug."

"I say we make him swear on the River Styx." Plagg said helpfully from his position in Marinette's fist. "That way we can ensure his secrecy on pain of punishment for breaking a magically binding oath, I can personally attest to not wanting to break one of those oaths. I would suggest he swear on his trough or make an unbreakable vow but those might be a bit extreme."

"You think stinky socks." Tikki said as the pink kwami floated over to glare at Plagg. Marinette hadn't noticed Tikki going over to glare at Plagg but Tikki had and Marinette decided it was best for the kwamis to sort this out between them. "Breaking either would cause death while the Styx will just punish you badly, as you know full well. Expect that to occur again by the way after this little stunt of yours."

"I'll plead my case when the time comes but if I am found guilty of breaking my oath then I will accept whatever punishment I must face." Plagg said stoically. "Though given my, er, obligations to various dangerous deities and monsters, that punishment could be anything and will certainly be unpleasant."

"Don't you mean your debts to said deities and monsters." Tikki said reproachfully. "And the punishment is supposed to be unpleasant, it's designed to stop you from doing it. Why do you think that I have only broken the oath twice."

"Er, Tikki can we get back on track?" Marinette asked her kwami. "I know Plagg knows who I am, so he should know I love Adrien and not Cat Noir. What makes him think that I love Cat?"

"Because you have pictures of him all over your wall, desk, and computer." Plagg said before anyone else could speak. "And under your bed, and in your chaise, and in your …"

"Alright I get it Plagg." Marinette snapped before her eyes went wide. Was Plagg implying what she thought he was implying?

"Adrien is Cat Noir?" Luka blurted out confirming what Marinette already suspected. "If so, that explains a lot."

"Damn it Plagg, you have really gone and done it this time." Tikki snapped at him. "There is no way that you can get out of punishment now. You have clearly broken your oath and divulged both the secret identity of mine and the secret identity of your human to a third party who has not been cleared for such information. Even by your incredibly high standards for fuck uppery, this is high."

"I do try to outdo myself." Plagg said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But you are right, I did fuck up and for that I would apologize, though had Luka here not watched that reality TV show fiasco that showed the pictures he wouldn't have known that I was referring to Adrien."

"Plagg, everyone saw that garbage fire of a show." Tikki said angrily. "That does not get you off the hook here."

"Fine but at least I have finally got all the secrets into the open." Plagg retorted defensively. "Well almost all of them anyway. At least now Marinette knows that Adrien loves her back which is a good start in my book. If I have to pay whatever price Hades, Pluto, Osiris, Fracture, Phantom, Nox, Kisin, Morpheus, Hypnos, Anubis, Sobek, or any other of the multitude of underworld or destruction deities I owe a debt to call in that price as part of my broken vow, then it will be worth it to see our humans happy and finally together."

"Yes, well you will deserve any punishment you get." Tikki said irritated at Plagg's clear lack of remorse. "As you did the last 18 times you broke our oath of secrecy."

During all of this Marinette was freaking the fuck out on her own. Adrien was Cat Noir! There was no doubting that after all the evidence she had just heard from the kwamis. That meant that he loved her just as much as she loved him. They really were soulmates who had been prevented from being with each other due to their secrets. It was just like a bad love story with the exception that it was real life. She knew that she should be happy about this but all she could do was panic and worry about all the implications that came with this sudden revelation.

All of this, Marinette's panic and worry and the argument between the kwamis was broken by Luka's sudden laughter. This caused all of them to look over in surprise at the older boy as he was laughing at the whole situation unfolding in front of him.

"Something funny hipster." Plagg called out. "Tikki and I are discussing what punishment I am likely to face and let me tell you, nothing in the Fields of Punishment matches this. What will be in store for me will make that place look like Elysium by comparison."

"Sorry it's just the who situation." Luka said as he recovered from his laugh and resumed his usual neutral expression. "I never thought any of this would could happen, but it has and now y'all have a chance to sort all of this out."

"How so?" Marinette asked, her panic subsiding for a moment as she looked over at Luka.

"Well I just texted Adrien asking him to come by and pick up some piano music I have laying around." Luka said as if it was something he did regularly and Marinette felt her eyes go wide and the blood drain from her face from fear at what Luka had just done. "And Adrien said he will be here as soon as his dad gives him permission to come. Fortunately, the music is classical stuff that we've had for years but never used so he can make use of it and his dad should say yes given that it is one of his extra curriculars that his father makes him do."

"Why?" Marinette asked confusion replacing fear at what Luka had done. "Can't you see that this situation is already fraught enough as it is, why add to it by inviting Adrien over."

"Because it is time you confessed everything to him Marinette." Luka said seriously. "And I mean everything. This is for both yours and Adrien's own good. It is time you tell him both how you feel about him and that you are Ladybug. He will accept you, you just have to be honest. Also, so that he knows what Plagg has been getting up too on his watch."

"I'm a big kwami, I can do what ever I want be it drink, gamble, or recite cheese based literature to a fellow fledgling poet who is vastly inferior to me." Plagg said indignantly. "Adrien knows that, he won't care what I have been up too so long as I am present when he needs me to transform."

"But what about you?" Marinette asked Luka, deciding that it was for the best to just ignore the annoying kwami in her hand.

"I will be fine, thanks for asking." Luka said with a small smile. "Yes, I have a small crush on you, and one on Adrien if I'm being honest, but that's just it, a small, teenage crush. It wouldn't last, it would be a fun and fleeting romance that ended amicably but that is it. We will always be friends Marinette, but you and Adrien have something special, something few couples ever truly find. You two are made for each other, I know it. The love you share, even if you didn't know it until you both learn the other's secret identity, is true and eternal. Nothing will ever get in the way of that. Plagg may have forced all y'alls hands, but honestly I don't think you would have done it had you not been forced. This is your moment Marinette, take it."

"Th-thank you Luka." Marinette said before walking over and kissing him on the cheek, she was still holding a very indignant Plagg in her hand. "For everything."

"You're welcome Marinette." Luka said with a smile as his phone went off. He glanced at it for a moment before looking up. "Adrien's dad said yes but he will only have an hour at most as he needs to check the music over. He will be here shortly."

Marinette just nodded. Now that the time for confessions was at hand her throat had seized up. She didn't know what she was going to say to him, only that it had to be the truth, the full and honest truth. Marinette knew that this day was coming, she had dreaded and prayed for it in equal measures, but now that it was imminent she just felt nervous.

In a few minutes all the secrets would be out, and she would know what Adrien thought of all of it. If there was any time for her Ladybug confidence, now was that time. It was time to face this head on and deal with the consequences once and for all. Marinette just prayed that the outcome would be the one she had always dreamed about.

* * *

Adrien had no idea why Luka had suddenly wanted him to come around to pick up piano music at this late of hour, but he wasn't going to complain if it got him out of the house and see a friend for a little bit. As usual Adrien had been forced to stay at home after school and not spend time with any of his friends after class. Fortunately, piano was one such thing his father understood and when it came to picking up music that he didn't have, Adrien had some leeway, providing he played it for his father tomorrow after practicing it tonight.

Adrien could handle that provision if it meant getting out and at least being a normal kid for a bit, something he really wanted to be able to do more. For some reason Plagg hadn't been present that night, saying that he had business to attend to, so Adrien was alone with his bodyguard, not that Plagg could show himself anyway even if he was present.

Now, Adrien had been dropped off at the Couffaine houseboat and was walking down the gangway to the ship, Luka had said that it was open and to just come in as soon as he arrived. Luka usually had some good, modern, piano music so Adrien was looking forward to seeing it and Luka before getting home, even if the music today was apparently classical in nature. He didn't know Luka well, but the guy was decent and treated Adrien like a human when they were at band practice together, not like some elitist asshole that everyone assumed him to be because of who his father was. A nice, routine, meeting with a friend was just what he needed.

Naturally, Lady Luck did not favor Adrien as the sight that greeted him when he entered Luka's room was about as far from the routine sight he was expecting. Instead of seeing Luka on his bed playing his latest song or meditating as usual, Adrien was greeted by one of the most bizarre sights he had ever seen and that was saying something given his other life as an akuma fighting superhero.

What greeted Adrien was Luka on his bed as usual, that was to be expected, it was also the only normal sight that greeted Adrien as what else greeted him shocked him. Marinette Dupain-Cheng of all people was standing in the middle of the room pointedly trying not to look at Adrien as he arrived and appearing very nervous at said arrival. Over her shoulder was a pink kwami with three black dots and a resigned look on its face that Adrien had certainly not been expecting.

Yet still all that was nothing compared to what, or more precisely who, Marinette was holding in her right fist. Plagg, someone Adrien absolutely did not expect to be here, was clutched in her fist looking as if nothing was amiss, like this was a natural occurrence for him that he was being held by Marinette in front of Luka as Adrien walked into the room.

"Sup Adrien." Plagg said breaking the stunned silence that had fallen upon the room as soon as Adrien had arrived. "Glad you could come join us, we were just having a lovely chat about life and the secrets it contains."

"Er what is going on?" Adrien asked hesitantly as he walked into the room. "And why is that thing in Marinette's hand talking to me."

"Thing!" Plagg exclaimed with mock annoyance and rolling his head to be dramatic. "Adrien. I am your kwami, you know me very well."

"What's a kwami?" Adrien asked trying in vain to play dumb. He was hoping to get out of this but knew in his heart that it was futile, they all clearly knew that he was Cat Noir. "Is that what is floating over Marinette's shoulder as well?"

"Adrien you bloody well know what the fuck a kwami is so stop playing games dumb games, the secret is out." Plagg snapped finally getting bored of Adrien trying and failing to act as if all this was new to him. "Your love has been holding me for a good half hour and while this isn't the worst situation I have ever been in, not by a long shot, it's not exactly comfortable either. There is no point in denying anything anymore, they all know the truth."

"They only know because of your stupid actions Plagg." The other kwami snapped in a feminine voice. "Had you not decided to mess with Luka then you wouldn't have been caught and none of this would have happened and all the secrets would still be secret."

"I also messed with Kagami too." Plagg said helpfully. "Though she cared more for trying to skewer me than catch me alive. Remember, I did all this for a very good reason, to protect Adrien and Marinette."

"Ok what is going on?" Adrien asked finally dropping his pathetic act and staring at the scene in front of him seriously. "I admit I know who Plagg is and what a kwami is, which means it is clear that y'all know that I am Cat Noir. Now judging by the fact that the other kwami here looks like a ladybug and is with Marinette I am going to assume that Marinette is Ladybug. Now we can circle back to that massive revelation in a bit. First can someone tell me what the fuck is going on and why do I get the feeling that all of this is Plagg's fault?"

"Long story short is that I was protecting you for the last few months." Plagg said not denying that he was the guilty party, his predicament in Marinette's hand was enough proof that he was behind whatever had just happened. "This stay at home hipster here was inadvertently stealing Marinette's heart from you and seeing as you love her back and are meant for each other I thought it would be best to prevent him from pursing her, or you for that matter. I did the same with Kagami but that was so that she wouldn't steal you from Marinette but you were much more oblivious to her than Marinette was to Luka."

"Only Marinette, while I do like Adrien I know he isn't bi." Luka said from the bed. "No offense, Adrien."

"None taken." Adrien said. "At least 30% of the fan mail I get is from LGBT guys who either assume I am into them or at least want me to be, I am used to it and while it is flattering I am not into it. I'm also not into any of the girls who pursue me as there is only one girl for me but if y'all know I am Cat Noir then you know who I am talking about."

"We are born how we feel, it cannot be changed or forced upon us, it should be respected and left alone as part of our right to privacy." Luka said with a nod. "No matter what either side of the issue says."

"Great, can we get back on topic so that Marinette can release me and confess everything to Adrien." Plagg said to which Adrien just nodded so his kwami continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, I came here to haunt Luka by pretending to be a wraith and get him to not pursue Marinette, just as I did the same to Kagami regarding Adrien. I also used them as a sounding board for my various cheese themed works, be it literary or musically based or both in the case of my musicals. I may have threatened them with retribution from some of my powerful friends as well, even if none of them would help me out short of an emergency due to my many debts to them."

"I am so, so, sorry you had to experience that." Adrien said sympathetically to Luka.

"It's ok, it is impressive that Plagg can come up with all of these works about a single type of cheese but the 7 hour long epic poem about Camembert, and it's 6 subsequent and equally long sequels, that was a rough week." Luka said wincing at the memory.

"You know you loved it." Plagg said winking at Luke who shook his head vigorously in the negative.

"Plagg, is that all you did?" Adrien asked sternly as he pulled the topic back to the issue at hand.

"At first that was all, but after a few months of my wonderful and sporadic presence, teal boy over here finally got fed up." Plagg said nodding at Luka. "So, he contacted Ladybug and she came to spy and catch me. After she caught me, and a few shall we say ill-advised statements on my part, Luka put two and two together, a surprise for a musician from his age group, and figured out who Ladybug was. Then a few more ill-advised statements later, they figured out who you were. Now that we are all here and caught up with the situation, I think Marinette has something to say to Adrien."

"Marinette, is it true?" Adrien asked softly, and she finally looked at him and he saw fear, hope, panic and love in her bluebell eyes. "Are you Ladybug?"

"Y-yes." Marinette admitted.

"Marinette, it's time for the other confession." Her kwami said softly floating near Marinette's cheek to reassure her. "This is that right moment that you have been waiting for for so long."

"I, I'm not sure Tikki." Marinette said glancing at her kwami. "I know it's the right moment but, well, I'm still scared to say it aloud."

"Just do it Marinette or else I will." Plagg called from her fist. "At this point pissing off every single love goddess that is still active on top of the punishment in store for me for breaking my oath of secrecy is nothing more than a parking ticket, even if those damn broads are the most sadistic punishers of those who piss them off."

"Very well." Marinette said with a sigh as she turned to Adrien and hesitantly spoke something Adrien had never expected to hear. "Adrien, I, I l-love you. I h-have ever since the umbrella and gum incident. Th-that's why I have all those pictures of you all over my room. It's a-also why I never gave Cat Noir a chance, to me it would be cheating on you and my love for you if I did. The same was for Luka. Now that I know that you are Cat Noir, well I only have one question. Do you still love Ladybug now that you know I am the girl beneath the mask?"

Adrien didn't respond, instead he acted on instinct, despite his limited skills with the fairer sex. He could see Marinette's fear and worry on her face and he had to abate it. In a few steps he had reached Marinette and had pulled her into his arms in a loving hug.

"Shh, Marinette, shh." Adrien said softly into Marinette's ear as he rubbed the back of her head. "When I fell for Ladybug on that bridge, I fell for all of her, both the mask and the girl who was beneath it. The girl who was trusted with the Ladybug Miraculous had to be worthy of it and that girl is you. I always knew that I would love the girl under the mask and that is you so yes, yes I do still love Ladybug and that means that I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears of joy as a small smile played across her lips at his words. Taking that moment, Adrien bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. In seconds they were locked in a passionate embrace, dead to the world and the highly embarrassed beings in the room with them who were now forced to watch their passionate embrace.

"Hey, I do not want to make this a ménage a trois." Plagg called out. "When that happens I prefer it to be me and few very fine pixies. Release me now! You've gotten what you wanted, I demand my freedom this instant."

Adrien felt Marinette's right palm on the back of neck and knew that Plagg had been released. That didn't distract him and Marinette from their blissful moment together however, nor did what Plagg said next.

"Ha, in your face your future genius counter employee." Plagg said and Adrien had a feeling that Plagg had flown over so that he was right in Luka's face. "I have succeeded in protecting my human and making sure he is with his soulmate."

"Well done and I agree they belong together." Luka said calmly. "Can y'all now go, I have a good song idea to write down about Adrien and MArinette's love, minus the whole Ladybug and Cat Noir stuff of course. Therefore, now that this is all sorted out, y'all can leave."

"Oh, but it's not all sorted out son of Apollo." Came a new voice from the middle of the room, startling everyone present. "There is still the matter of Plagg's punishment."

The surprise caused the new couple to break apart in surprised and in Marinette's case fall onto the floor. Likewise, Luka was on the floor having clearly jumped at the sudden arrival. Only the kwamis appeared to be unaffected, though seeing as they could fly it was hard to tell if they had reached to the sudden apparition, and apparition it was.

The man who had suddenly appeared in the center of the room and spoken in American accented French was floating a few inches of the ground. Adrien noted that he was a distinctly average, fair skinned, translucent, man, the translucence being not average at all.

The man looked to be in his late 20s, maybe early 30s, and stood around 6 feet tall. He had close cropped dark brown hair with matching scruff as if he hadn't shaved in a few days and matching eyes that appeared to have seen way too much for a man of his age.

Then Adrien saw what the man was wearing, something years of modeling and living with a fashion mogul had caused him to reflexively do. The man was dressed in a simple pale green t-shirt that seemed to glow with an ethereal light that Adrien usually associated with the paranormal from low-budget, cheesy, horror films, dark blue jeans, and black boots.

For some reason the man was armed. Strapped to his right thigh was a simple straight dagger with a handle that seemed to be made a green, translucent material. Hanging on the left side of his waist was a strange metallic, cylindrical device that looked oddly like a lightsaber from the Star Wars films but that was just ridiculous to Adrien, those didn't exist except as toys or replicas for collectors. Despite the weapons, the man's hands were raised and empty in a non-threatening gesture. Though Adrien did not doubt that this man was very lethal when he wanted to be, he had clearly come in peace.

That was when Adrien noticed the strange tattoo on the man's right forearm. It was written in English, one of the several languages that Adrien was either fluent or proficient in, so he could easily read it. The tattoo said PHANTOM 27, written in the same glowing ethereal green color and slight light that his shirt was gave off. In fact, the man seemed to glow slightly with the ethereal light, in addition to his translucent appearance, all of which struck Adrien as odd. He had no idea who this man was, but Adrien had a gut feeling that he was important and incredibly powerful.

"No, I will not go with you." Plagg said flying right into the man's face. "I have not broken any laws Phantom. You cannot take me away to be punished."

"Phantom?" Marinette asked as Adrien helped her up and held her close. "I heard Plagg say that name earlier, but it was with a bunch of other mythical names, so I assumed that he was posturing and that it didn't mean anything."

"Plagg does posture and exaggerate a lot." Phantom said with a slight smile as he brushed Plagg aside to look Marinette and Adrien. "But in this case, he was not lying. I and all the other mythical deities are very much real, even if many have faded over the millennia."

"Yes, well I have not broken the oath." Plagg said closing his eyes, turning around to show Phantom his back and crossing his arms.

"Yes, you have Plagg." Tikki said with a knowing smirk before flying over and respectfully bowing to the man called Phantom. "And Phantom is here to ensure that you are punished accordingly. I am sorry for the lack of formal greetings, Phantom, Guardian of Ghosts, but as you can see, this is an unusual situation."

"Isn't it always with Plagg." Phantom said with a smile. "Trust me, this is not even in the top 10 unusual situations that I have seen Plagg in."

"I'll give you that, I am an expert at the unusual." Plagg said still not looking at the sudden arrival. "It is one of my many exceptional talents."

"Anyway." Phantom continued looking at Tikki. "It is ok to be informal right now, this is just me serving as a messenger and not in any official capacity so no need for pointless formalities, especially because you are older than me. However, given my arrival and the task I have to complete, you are going to have to explain to these two miraculous holders and the demigod over there the truth. Fortunately, the magic of the miraculouses keeps the monsters at bay so the son of Apollo won't attract monsters even as his scent increases upon his realization of the truth of his heritage."

"Of course, Phantom." Tikki said with another bow. Clearly this being was important as he commanded the complete respect of Tikki and kwamis were powerful beings from Adrien had gathered. "They have already learned so much today, a little more won't hurt. Even if it is world changing truths."

"Good." Phantom said before turning to Plagg. "Now Plagg, are you ready?"

"I still deny all the charges against me." Plagg said not looking at the man while Adrien, Marinette and Luka all stared at the exchange in confusion.

"Be that as it may, you are still guilty." Phantom said sternly. "Styx, upon who's river you swore, is the sole arbiter of broken oaths when it comes to her river and she has deemed you in violation of your oath and thus in need of punishment. Remember, she is a goddess that no one, not even the Master Guardian, Zeus, Jupiter, Ra or Odin, want to piss off, despite all of them doing so repeatedly throughout history. Furthermore, the Guardian of Magic, to whom you made the damn oath in the first place, has also classified this as a breach so you will be punished for your recent actions."

"Er, sorry to be rude but what the hell is going on?" Adrien asked, finally unable to handle the confusion of what was going on.

"Mr. Agreste, that is a not rude but a very fair question to ask given the circumstances." Phantom said turning to Adrien. "However, the auction for Plagg's punishment is happening soon and the Guardian of Time is a very busy man and can only create the time bubble if he is present which will be a brief window. Tikki will explain all once I am gone. I apologize for this but Plagg's recent actions have consequences and as such he must face the music."

"Very well, if Styx is saying I violated the oath then I will listen to her." Plagg said with a sigh and turning around. "She is not someone I want on my bad side, again. Though I still deny doing anything wrong. I was just protecting my human's love interests and got a little carried away that's all."

"Duly noted but that still won't save you." Phantom said with a slightly bored note. "Your actions still revealed the identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir to a party not cleared for the information, as well as Adrien's secret to Marinette. Those are breaches and you will pay for it. Now, Luka is it." Luka nodded when Phantom turned to look at him. "Good, I need you to swear on the River Styx that you will not reveal the identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir to anyone who is not cleared to know."

"Er, how will I know who is cleared?" Luka asked clearly confused at who Phantom was or why he was suddenly in his room. "And what does the oath entail."

"The oath is a magically binding oath that has dire, but normally not fatal, repercussions if you break it." Phantom said as if it was nothing. "It's designed to ensure that you keep your mouth shut or don't do a specific action, in your case it will be the former. The identities of the Miraculous Holders, at least those charged by the Order of the Guardians, no relation to my, for a lake of a better word, pantheon, to wield miraculouses, must be kept secret at all costs. As for cleared individuals. Those who are cleared will be notified of your addition to the list, as well as Adrien's and Marinette's additions to each other's respective list, and will let you know that they are cleared by telling you who the holders are. I highly doubt that other than Master Wang Fu, you will ever meet anyone who is cleared to know who Ladybug and Cat Noir are under their masks."

"Very well, I can do that." Luka said with a nod. "I feel like I owe them that much given that I found out their secrets and sorta helped Plagg with revealing all this. How do I swear by the River Styx?"

"Just say that you will keep the secret and that you swear by the river Styx to do so." Phantom said simply. "It is a straightforward, magically binging, oath."

"Very well." Luka said with a nod. "I swear by the River Styx that I will not reveal the identities of Ladybug and Cat Noir to anyone unless they let me know via proof that they are cleared to know the information."

As soon as Luka spoke there was a sudden thunderclap and Phantom nodded. The sound caused all the humans to jump but otherwise it was as if nothing had happened.

"It is done, good." Phantom said with a smile. "Now Plagg are you ready to go this time?"

"Wait!" Marinette said. "Who are you?"

"I am the Guardian of Ghosts, one of the Guardians of the Elements." Phantom said looking at her, though Adrien felt that that explained absolutely nothing. "I cannot explain further but Tikki will once I am gone."

"But why were you sent here?" Marinette asked confused. "I'm still not sure what is going on but I will let Tikki explain it later, I am just confused as to why you were specifically sent to take Plagg away for his punishment."

"Because Guardians, as well as sometimes gods, change their names to fit the culture they are in, most of the time." Phantom began. "When the flame of the west left Rome and moved to western Europe, England to be precise, I took the name Wraith from the Scottish word for Ghost. So, by using my former name and acting as a ghost, which is within my jurisdiction, Plagg ensured that I would be the one who came to collect his dumb ass when he fucked up. We all knew he would, it was just a question of when."

"Merde." Plagg swore. "I forgot that when I saw you during the Scottish Rebellions you went by the name Wraith. I can see why you are here. Who won the bet by the way?"

"What bet?" Phantom said feigning innocence.

"I know y'all too well to know that several of you put bets down on when my little escapade with Luka and Kagami backfired and caused at least one of the Miraculous Holders' identities to be revealed to either Luka or Kagami." Plagg said. "I should have been part of that bet."

"Now that would be unethical." Phantom said with a wide grin.

"Y'all aren't known for your ethics." Plagg retorted.

"Very well, we made the bets back when you drunkenly told us of the plan down in Fracture's Ossuary." Phantom said with amusement in his voice. "I had a month and lost. Shard had 5 months, the longest time, and so he won."

"Great." Plagg grumbled as the trio of humans continued to look perplexed at the higher beings and their conversation. "The Guardian of Glass won, he won't let me forget that anytime soon. Very well, I am ready to accept my punishment and repay whatever debts I owe you."

"Oh, you aren't repaying me, well at least not directly." Phantom said with a smirk at Plagg.

"What!" Plagg exclaimed shocked. "If you are not the one calling in the debt then who is? The last 18 times this has happened, the being who is using my punishment to make me pay off a debt to them is the one who collects you."

"Not this time." Phantom said with a wry smile. "This time I got to collect your cos you used my old name and as such I am getting something out of this later. No, your reputation precedes you and in the 452 years since your last violation of the oath, a record for you by the way though the 240 or so years of dormancy helped you, you have amassed a shit ton of new debts. I must admit, I am impressed at the number"

"So, what is happening?" Plagg asked warily. "And thanks, when I apply myself I do excel at what I do, even if it making dumb bets with powerful beings."

"Your punishment is officially up for auction." Phantom said with a smile to which Plagg's and Tikki's mouths fell open and the others just continued to stare in confusion at the scene unfolding in front of them. "I did mention that little detail earlier but you clearly weren't listening."

"Auction?" Tikki asked surprised. "Phantom are you sure that is a good idea?"

"Not my call." Phantom said with a shrug. "Styx suggested it and we all tend to listen to her when she is talking about an oath violation regarding her river. Honestly it makes sense. There are over 200 immortal beings ranging from major gods and Guardians, including 4 of the 5 Original Guardians, to minor gods, spirits of nature, and powerful monsters, who are in attendance at this auction. They all want to be the one to execute Plagg's punishment and thus have him work off a few debts in the process."

"Which Original Guardian isn't present?" Plagg asked. "Cos I am pretty sure that the Master Guardian and I have no debts right now."

"The Guardian of Light is not there but given that this is happening in the underworld and he's persona non grata down there it makes sense." Phantom said with a smile. "The Master Guardian is just there to oversee the Guardian of Time as he is still new by Guardian standards and a little unsure of the full extent of his new powers and we need the Guardian of Time to ensure that you serve your punishment while remaining true to you duties as a kwami. I can sympathize with Percy as I have been there myself. Becoming a Guardian is a great day but it takes a while to get used to the power and what you can do with your assigned element."

"He's there to slow this shit down so that it can be done in a night, right?" Plagg asked looking intently at Phantom.

"To be more accurate he will create a time bubble around the location of the punishment that will speed up time within it." Phantom said. "To you it will feel like however long it has to feel like until Styx is satisfied that you have been thoroughly punished, and the deity punishing you is satisfied that you have payed of your debts to him or her. To the rest of the world it will be a few hours at most."

"Very well and the proceeds of the auction?" Plagg asked with a note of resignation in his voice. "I must admit I like this a little better than just being grabbed by Anubis and thrown into some cleaning job cleaning the boat of the dead down in the Duat or something. I expect I will get the proceeds of my auction."

"With your extensive debts, hardly." Phantom said with a chuckle. "Everything up to what you owe me, monetarily that is, plus my commission will go to me as the auctioneer and the one who's name you used, that's what I am getting out of this deal. Anything left over, and there should be a fair bit left over, will go to repaying your other debts in order of seniority of being you are indebted too. Now are you ready to go?"

"Do I have a choice in any of this?" Plagg countered.

"None." Phantom said with a cool smile.

"Very well let's get this shit over with." Plagg said before looking at Phantom dead in the eye and raising his head as high as he could given his small stature. "But let me make this clear, I would do this again in a heartbeat. 11 of my now 19 violations of the oath have been to protect my human in some way and that have not been covered by the exceptions clause that the Guardian of Magic and Styx have regarding the oath. I have successfully protected Adrien and ensured that he and his soulmate are finally together. I can go to my punishment with my head held high, knowing that I did what I did out of love for my human and for the right reasons, even if it violated a sacred and magically binding oath."

"Noted." Phantom said with a nod. "But the law is the law and you must face the punishment for breaking it. Let's go and get this over with. You will be back in the morning."

Before anyone could say anything, Phantom and Plagg turned translucent and then just disappeared into the thin air. Adrien just blinked at where he kwami had been seconds ago. He had no idea what had just happened, and he was pretty sure than other than Tikki, the others didn't either.

They all turned to face the remaining kwami in the room, Adrien still holding Marinette close. It was time for answers.

"Please sit down, this will take a while as I have a lot to explain to you all." Tikki said kindly but with a hint of tiredness in her voice. They all did, Adrien pulling Marinette into his lap as he sat at Luka's desk and holding her close to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I guess I should start at the beginning and by beginning, I mean the very beginning, back when the universe was first created." Tikki said with a sigh. "In the beginning there was a …"

 **Couldn't resist an ending like that. This is hopefully the second to last Epic Class oneshot but I will not promise that. It is fitting that this is being released within 24 hours of the Frozer trailer dropping and all that that trailer teased at, naturally this series makes my stance on the ships in Miraculous Ladybug very clear. Also, as of right now, this is the last planned appearance of a Guardian, however they do tend to occasionally show up during my outlining process in order to make a oneshot work ('Fanfiction' was such a case) but if people want them to appear more, I am more than happy to include them. Nothing more to add here, so a** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the greater variety of oneshots I can try and write in this series. Keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	30. Yarn

**Here is the 30th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Sorry that this is later than usual (but still within my weekend leeway), it's been a long, stressful week IRL for me, as school picks up there will be a few delays that will be unavoidable. This is another suggestion from the long list of prompts that the same follower has supported that I could never have thought of. There will be references to one of the new kwamis introduced in 'Sandboy' so a spoiler warning on that, but that kwami continues to further prove my theory regarding kwami names and their genders.** ** **Anyway, enough rambling, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Yarn.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Yarn \- Marinette is knitting a new scarf for Adrien as he is coming around the next day to work on a project. Marinette is so engrossed in her work that she loses track of Tikki so she doesn't notice the kwami's predicament when she transforms for an upcoming patrol. The result is a serious impurity in her transformation, one that does not allow her to use her powers or transform back. Marinette is forced to wait until the morning and has to seek out Master Fu for help. Sass provides a solution involving Cat Noir but first Marinette cannot cancel on Adrien. All she has to do is hide her problem from Adrien, no problem right?** **  
**

* * *

 **Yarn**

Marinette hummed softly along to the Clara Nightingale song that was playing on her computer. Tikki was dancing along to it in the air as she always did when Clara was on, but Marinette had more important things to focus on than her kwami's dance moves. Winter was coming and as such she was using the change in seasons as an excuse to knit another scarf for Adrien. He was coming over tomorrow to work on a class project with her and she wanted to give it to him then, so she had to focus on the knitting.

She had in the past knitted him a scarf but had not signed a note saying it was from her. However, it had made Adrien happy in the end and that was what was important, even if he didn't know that she was the one who had made it for him. Now, she was knitting him another one, this time jet black as the color really went with Adrien's eyes, so that she could give it to him personally. That way there would be no confusion as to who gave it to him.

Marinette had to completely focus on her work as while she could knit, she was better at sowing and with traditional fabrics than she was at knitting yarn, so it took her a little longer to make it than she would have liked, hence starting it now to give her enough time to finish it. As she was so focused on knitting and not making a mistake that might ruin her gift to Adrien, she was not paying attention to Tikki or the now aggressively her kwami was dancing and flying around her room in full thrall of the song.

It happened all at once, one moment that would change Marinette's future forever and everything that could go wrong did. First her phone alarm went off letting her know that she had to get ready to meet Cat Noir for a patrol that evening, that caused her to miss a stitch and swear, thus loosing focus on everything else.

At that precise moment, Tikki had executed a very aggressive dance move from Clara's latest song and lost her own bearing, flying directly into the ball of yarn that Marinette was knitting from. The kwami got tangled in the yarn and flew with the ball of yarn off the table as Marinette dropped the scarf to transform, not noticing her kwami's predicament or giving Tikki the time to phase out of the yarn.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette called out just as Tikki exclaimed:

"Marinette don't …"

Marinette didn't really know how to explain the transformation other than that it was different and very painful. One minute she was getting ready to transform, the next she was flat on the floor gasping in pain and blinking through tears, not knowing what had just hit her.

Grunting in pain, Marinette slowly sat up and looked over herself. It took all her willpower not to scream out given the fact that her parents were still up, and they would come rushing up to find her as Ladybug, something that would be hard to explain away to them. Still, the sight that met her was off putting to say the least.

The yarn was everywhere. It was sticking out of her costume in various places as if it had been poorly threaded through the skin tight, magical material of her transformed form. Despite this, it still made the suit feel tighter on Marinette, tight enough to be uncomfortable but not dangerous. On top of the yarn sticking out everywhere, the needles were sticking out of left wrist, so she couldn't close her hand, the completed part of the scarf had become a tail at her back, and the depleted ball of yarn hung from her right wrist. It was a complete mess.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette groaned out in an attempt to get rid of the problem, only that didn't happen.

Instead, Marinette heard a strange sound that sounded like the sound that a computer made when a function wasn't working. That was something she had never experienced before.

"Merde." Marinette swore, it looked like she couldn't transform back due to the yarn. Well there was another way to transform back.

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette yelled throwing her yo-yo into the air.

Again, the same sound happened, and the yo-yo fell back and landed hard on her head with a painful thud and she fell down onto her ass. Grumbling at her power not working either Marinette decided to try the last thing she knew would force her to transform back to civilian form.

Reaching up, she took one of her earrings in her hand and tried to separate the two parts of it. She couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remove her miraculous and force the transformation to end. She was stuck like this.

Marinette was on the verge of panic but after a few deep breaths she took stock of her situation and assessed it neutrally. She was Ladybug after all, she could handle anything. Clearly the yarn was acting as an impurity or negation of sorts and was preventing her from transforming back, something Tikki had never explained to her but in her kwami's defense Tikki had never put Marinette in this situation before. The yarn seemed to completely negate her power, so she was pretty much stuck like this. She also had a patrol she was supposed to be on with Cat Noir right now that she had to get out of.

Opening her yo-yo, she activated the call feature, which was fortunately working, likely due to it being more technology based than magical like her powers. If she knew Cat Noir, and she did, he would already be transformed and waiting for her, so he should pick up pretty quickly. She hated lying to him, but she couldn't be effective or go out like this. The call rang a few times before Cat Noir picked up.

"M'lady, where are you?" Came his calm, confident, cocky voice and Marinette could hear the grin in it. "I was starting to get worried."

"Your too sweet kitty but alas I cannot make it." Marinette said with a fake, but convincing, cough. The call feature had no video function thankfully, so he couldn't see her embarrassing situation, she could fake being sick over a call. "I'm not feeling too well, I think I'm coming down with the flu or something and don't want to get you infected."

"Oh, yeah that would be bad." Cat Noir replied after a moment, his usual cheeriness muted a little by the fact that she was canceling on him. "If I get sick then there is no way I am going to be allowed out. No one wants to be near a sickly cat."

"Yeah and I need to be healthy for when Hawk Moth shows his ugly, masked, head again." Marinette replied with a sigh. "So, it is best that I stay in, can you handle the patrol on your own?"

"Course I can bugaboo." Cat Noir replied. "Other than a cat in a tree that is but that's a territorial matter. Get better soon m'lady."

"Will do kitty." Marinette said as she hung up with another sigh.

She hated not being truthful with Cat Noir, but she couldn't explain this one easily. Once she figured out what to do about the yarn, and knitting needles, she would tell him so that they could laugh about this later. Until then, all she could do was go to bed, try to get some sleep, and wake up early. Master Fu would know what to do about her predicament and this classified as an emergence, she would just have to figure out what to wear to disguise her costume and the damned yarn.

With that thought, Marinette got into bed and tried to get to sleep, despite the uncomfortable feeling of constriction from the yarn and the fact that she was in her costume. All would be sorted in the morning and then everything could go back to normal. She would see Adrien after lunch for a project and she could resume her duties as Ladybug unhindered. This was only a minor inconvenience, nothing major would come of it.

* * *

Marinette awoke early the next morning short of breath. It took her a few minutes of minor panic to remember the situation she was in. Something had gone wrong with her transformation the day before and she had yarn everywhere from her attempt to knit Adrien a scarf. Now she had to go and get it sorted out by Master Fu.

Marinette looked through her closet to try and find something to wear to hide her costume. Fortunately, as a budding fashion designer, Marinette had everything she could possibly need to disguise herself as she walked from her house to Master Fu's massage parlor on the banks of the Seine.

She started with a pair of knee high leather boots that she saved for rainy days. Then she pulled on a knee length summer dress and matching elbow length gloves. All were a little tricky given the yarn and the gloves were a write off as the needles destroyed them but what was left hid the costume well enough.

Once she had the clothes on, Marinette donned a long trench coat that she cinched at the waist, a large sun hat and stupidly large sunglasses despite the weak autumn light of Paris. Marinette hated this look, but she had to admit she did look a little like Audrey Bourgeois, Chloe's mother. The look wasn't going to raise many eyebrows given that woman's influence on the fashion scene in Paris was second only to Gabriel Agreste.

With her disguise sorted, Marinette crept out of her apartment. Thankfully, because it was a weekend, her parents were expecting her to sleep in a little and were already working in the bakery for the morning rush. Thus, Marinette was able to get out unnoticed and unchallenged.

As soon as she was on the street, Marinette hurried as fast as she could without drawing any attention to herself to Master Fu's. It didn't take long, she knew how to reach his place by now, but still it felt like forever as she was constantly checking to make sure she wasn't giving herself away or being looked at strangely. For once, Marinette's luck held out and she reached the massage parlor without incident.

"Marinette! What are you doing here?" Master Fu asked surprised as soon as she entered, he had clearly just finished opening the place for the day as she walked in. "What is the matter? You only show when something serious has happened."

"You could say that again Master Fu." Marinette said with a nod and a sigh. "I, er, I have a bit of a situation."

With that Marinette carefully took off her hat, glasses and jacket with her right hand to show the guardian of the miraculouses her predicament. His eyes went wide at the sight.

"I see, yes that is a problem." Master Fu said with a nod. "Wayzz, wake up, we have a code I."

"Code I?" Wayzz asked sleepily from the gramophone he lived in. "How has Plagg managed to get an impurity this time, I thought he had learned his lesson after the barbed wire incident…oh hey Marinette."

Wayzz had flown out of his bedroom and noticed that it was Marinette and not Cat Noir there. Clearly the kwami was shocked at who had gotten the impurity.

"Impurity?" Marinette asked a little confused. "What's that? I assume it has something to do with the yarn in my transformation."

"A kwami must be in perfect condition when the transformation happens for our powers to be used at their peak." Wayzz said as he flew over to inspect Marinette. "And, well, if we are stuck in something when our human calls the transformation phrase then we carry that impurity over to the human in the process. Judging by the amount of yarn on you and the knitting needles, I am going to assume that Tikki was caught in a ball of yarn when you transformed."

"I was knitting a scarf at the time." Marinette admitted. "But I didn't realize where Tikki was and I had to change for a patrol so I acted on instinct. Now I can't get back. No matter what I do I cannot transform back to my normal self."

"Yes, different levels of impurities will cause different effects." Wayzz said with a nod. "The more extreme it is the less likely any power will work and judging by the amount of yarn I can see, this is one of the worst cases ever and given Plagg's curiosity and unnatural ability to get himself into sticky situations that's saying something. Remember the time when I was trying to use a ring as a hula hoop master and it got stuck on my shell?"

"Yes, Wayzz I remember." Master Fu said with a sigh. "I could barely breath and had to remove the miraculous to transform back. However, Wayzz is right, this looks too extreme to just remove your miraculous to achieve this Ladybug."

"Yeah I tried that." Marinette admitted. "Didn't work, neither did transforming back or my lucky charm to force a time out of the miraculous. This happened last night so I had to sleep on it and come see you as soon as I woke to sort this out, had to cancel a patrol with Cat Noir as well."

"You did the right thing." Master Fu said with a nod. "I know that there is a potion that could remove the impurity, it is in the grimoire we took pictures of, but it is complex and will take time to both accurately translate and make, time you may not have given the sudden uptick in akuma attacks."

"Master, if I may, I might have a solution." Wayzz said and they all looked at the Turtle Kwami. "With your permission, may I go into the Miracle Box and bring back the Snake Kwami. Of all the kwamis, he is the most knowledgeable about our lore and ways as he is the only one of us to have directly served the Guardian of Magic who taught him said lore. He serves as our master of ceremonies and is probably the wisest of the kwamis. If any kwami would know a faster way to sort this out, he would."

"Can he be removed from the box if his miraculous remains within and dormant?" Master Fu asked seriously.

"Only if you give permission for him to leave the box temporarily and only in order to seek his advice." Wayzz said with a nod. "He won't be able to stay long but he can stay long enough to answer any questions."

"Very well, you have my permission to fetch him." Master Fu said with a smile. "There may be a lot I too can learn from him."

Wayzz just nodded and flew off into the gramophone. Marinette was curious as to this new kwami. So far, she had only met hers, Cat Noir's, Wayzz and Trixx, the Fox Kwami who occasionally helped out Alya. Marinette wanted to meet more of them as they were all fascinating and incredibly cute.

"Have you met this kwami master?" Marinette asked curiously.

"No, I haven't." Master Fu admitted. "The Zodiac Kwamis are not as often chosen and as such I have not met any of them despite being in possession of the box for over 150 years. I have met the main ones, Tikki and Plagg, as well as the 5-ancient elemental kwamis though it was my fault as to why Nooroo and Duusu were lost. I am as intrigued as you to meet this particular kwami if he is as knowledgeable as Wayzz says he is."

Marinette didn't get any time to comment as at that moment Wayzz returned with a new kwami. Marinette knew kwamis were technically genderless but took on masculine or feminine personalities, though the reason for that was unknown to her. Wayzz had referred to the Snake Kwami as a he, so that meant that the kwami had a masculine personality and from a glance, Marinette could tell that the kwami was clearly masculine.

The Snake Kwami was sea green with a broad triangular head, yellow eyes, fangs and a forked tongue that he used to taste the air around him, the tongue matching his skin color. He had the classic snake's hood over his head and that ran down his back and into his long, black tipped tail. There was also a black, diamond shaped pattern in a line down his back.

"Ladybug, may I introduce my brother kwami, Sass." Wayzz said indicating the Snake Kwami.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet a Ladybug." Sass said in a deep, reassuring voice that spoke of the wisdom in it. "I have not had the pleasure of meeting one of Tikki's holders before, seldom have I been activated by a Ladybug. In fact, this is the first time I have left the Miracle Box in quite some time, millennia in fact."

"I will keep you in mind should I need you and your specific nature in the future." Marinette said taken a little aback by the serious kwami in front of her.

"I understand the nature of the world and its needs." Sass replied. "I may not be the best for a given situation and I can respect that but I do look forward to the day I can once again help humanity, or free Nooroo from slavery."

"You're also the only kwami to ever be used by a divinity before and not just any divinity, our creator at that." Wayzz said with a note of respect in his voice. "For that alone you are the envy of all kwamis."

"True I have held that distinction for a brief period." Sass said with a nod and a small smile. "When the Guardian of Magic found my essence and created my miraculous so as to manifest my physical form in this world, he saw in me something he needed at the time but that is long in the past and my time out of the box has since been limited. I cannot stay long so let's get down to business. Ladybug, Wayzz tells me you could use my help."

"Er yes, I am having an impurity problem." Marinette said holding up her arm to show the kwami the yarn.

"Yes, I can see that." Sass said with a chuckle as he flew over to her. "Would you mind if I look you over to assess the extent of the imperfection that Tikki was in at the time of your transformation."

"Of course." Marinette replied, and Sass began to fly around her and up her dress, a fact that Marinette would have found disturbing had Sass not been a kwami and had she not been in costume.

After a minute Sass reappeared with a grave look on his serpentine face. Marinette knew she was not going to like his assessment.

"It is by far the worst imperfection I have seen or heard of and we all know Plagg's tendency to get himself stuck in impurities that require removal via the potion." Sass said as he flew over to hover by Wayzz before turning to look at Marinette. "Ladybug, what you have is a major impurity. The extent covers so much of your transformation that it has completely negated your powers but that much I assume you already know."

"Yes." Marinette said, she wanted to get annoyed at the kwami's obvious observation and lack of assistance, but his voice reassured her. "I want to know how to get rid of it."

"There is but two ways to solve this problem." Sass said. "One is the aforementioned potion that the guardian can make but will take time and I know that is something you do not have. The other way is faster but will be more painful and risky, though fortunately an option for you."

"Given the time crunch and discomfort I am in, I will take that option so long as it is safe." Marinette said firmly.

"Spoken like someone worthy of the Ladybug Miraculous." Sass replied with a bob of his little head. "Very well, the other method is Plagg's power of destruction, his Cataclysm. Normally it is Plagg who has an impurity and cannot use his powers but this time he isn't the one who's stuck. It should only cause minor burns that will be healed when you next use your Lucky Charm, as will whatever impurity is destroyed being replaced once Tikki's power of creation is invoked."

"Minor burns?" Marinette asked shocked.

"Cat Noir's power is the power of pure destruction." Wayzz pointed out. "It will cause some minor burns as it destroys the impurity. I assume that he has to touch the yarn for it to work Sass?"

"He will." Sass nodded. "That will destroy it in seconds, painful seconds but seconds nonetheless. Course given the strain and time that the impurity has been there, it will also instantly force a time out. Tikki will be out cold for at least a day from this and Ladybug will appear before Cat Noir in civilian form. There may be other consequences but as I have never actually witnessed this form of purification I cannot comment on them."

"He trusts me, and I trust him." Marinette said firmly. "I will figure it out so that he doesn't see me."

"Perhaps it would be for the best for you to learn who he is and vice versa." Sass said causing everyone in the room to look at him. "What? It's the logical thing to do and should make them stronger as a team as it completes their trust on one another. It's just a suggestion but from my understanding of kwami lore it can increase the powers of the holders under certain circumstances, though Mage wasn't clear what those circumstances were. Anyway, I should be going, I hope that I have provided the aid required."

"You have." Marinette said with a smile. "Thank you Sass, I hope we can meet again."

"Likewise, Ladybug." Sass said with a smile before turning and flying back into the gramophone and into the miraculous box stored inside.

"Well Marinette, you know what you have to do." Master Fu said with a nod. "I think that it is best that you sort this out as soon as possible as we do not know when Hawk Moth might strike next."

"I will, thank you for your help Master Fu." Marinette said with a bow as she went to grab her coat, hat and glasses and carefully put them on again.

"Always." Master Fu said with a smile. "Now, go. Wayzz and I have, much to discuss and I will want to talk with Sass some more in time. That kwami's knowledge could be key to defeating Hawk Moth in the end."

Marinette just nodded and left the massage parlor, hurrying home at the same pace she had left it. She wanted to call Cat Noir right away, but she knew he wouldn't pick up. She would call tonight and hope he was out prowling the city, that way she could sort it out as soon as possible.

However, first she had Adrien coming over to work on a project and she didn't want to miss anytime with her crush, especially when it was just the two of them alone together. All she could hope for was that nothing went wrong while she was with him and reveal her second deepest secret to Adrien, a tall ask but one she was certain she could do. What could go wrong?

* * *

It was a few hours later when Adrien showed up. Marinette had been able to sneak back into her room without her parents realizing but now she was panicking because Adrien was about to arrive and that always set her heart aflutter.

She had done her best to hide the fact that she was still in her costume. She had put on a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, new gloves, that were now ruined, and kept the large glasses on. She had also kept the boots on. Hopefully this would be enough. She just had to avoid losing her nerves around Adrien like always. If that happened then Marinette knew she would reveal her current predicament to him.

Marinette was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell ringing. With a sigh she headed down to her front door and opened it, hopefully all would be okay.

Adrien was standing on the other side, his bag over his shoulder, the usual smile of his face that always made Marinette blush as he waited to be invited in. As soon as he saw her though, the smile fell slightly, and a look of confusion crossed his face.

"Er Marinette, are you ok?" He asked.

"Just a little under the weather." Marinette replied with a smile of her own, her situation negating her usual nerves around Adrien. "Nothing contagious but we do have to get this work done."

"True." Adrien replied walking in and following Marinette up the stairs to her room causing Marinette to resit the urge to sway her hips in his face. "We are both a little behind on this."

"I'm already behind on a lot of classes." Marinette said with a forced laugh that hurt against the constriction of the yarn. "But this is one of the worst."

Marinette didn't hear Adrien respond so she assumed that he had just nodded as she lead him into her room. She had to be careful with her left hand as that was where the knitting needles were, and they were the hardest to hide. They were also the biggest annoyance she had to deal with.

Soon they were both in her room and Adrien had put his bag down, glancing at the photos of himself on her wall. Marinette fought and lost to the blush at the sight of Adrien looking at her large collection of photos of him. Shaking her head and reassuring herself that she had talked her way out of in she turned back to him and as soon as her eyes met his, his went wide.

"Adrien, what's the matter?" Marinette asked confused. As far as she knew she hadn't done anything stupid, yet.

"Er Marinette, your glasses are askew and well you are wearing a Ladybug mask for some reason." Adrien said with an odd tone in his voice.

"Merde." Marinette swore as she put her hands up to her face and realized that the glassed had been dislodged when she shaken her head.

Course, that had been the worst idea possible. The needles had instantly knocked the glasses off and tugged on the mask showing that it couldn't be removed and the ball of yarn on her right wrist decided to pop out at that moment, showing her costume in the process. Marinette was lucky that she hadn't stabbed herself in the eye but the damage had been done, there was no way that Adrien hadn't seen the costume.

"Marinette, why are you dressed like Ladybug and why can't the mask come off?" Adrien asked now really confused. Marinette could see the gears working in his head and knew that she was fucked.

"Cos, I like her." Marinette offered lamely and even she could hear the lie in her voice. "So I sometimes wear a costume of her and I forgot to take it off before you arrived."

"Marinette, what's the truth." Adrien said folding his arms across his chest and giving her a serious look that Marinette couldn't lie to. "I know that her mask, and Cat Noir's for that matter, cannot be removed. Lady WiFi proved that during her akuma attack."

"Er." Marinette was in full panic mode now.

"Marinette, are you Ladybug?" Adrien asked. His voice had softened to almost a loving whisper and there was a hint of hope in it.

"Yes." Marinette admitted realizing that there was no way out of this other than the truth, it might even bring her closer to Adrien if she played her cards right. "I am."

"Why are you transformed?" Adrien asked adding a little confusion to his voice.

"It's probably best if I show you." Marinette said with a sigh. "But you have to promise me that you will keep my secret."

"Of course, I will." Adrien said and Marinette was sure she could hear something akin to love in Adrien's voice. "I promise on fear of being trapped by my father once more that I will never tell another sole that you are Ladybug."

Marinette smiled, she knew that she could trust Adrien after a promise like that. With difficulty and ruining all her clothes in the process because of the damn knitting needles, she undressed and showed Adrien the full extent of her situation, yarn and all.

Adrien opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a sudden burst of laughter that came from inside Adrien's jacket of all places. Marinette looked at Adrien in confusion as his eyes went wide in fear, the same kind of fear she had experienced when he had seen her costume. Before either could say anything, a small, black, thing fell out of Adrien's jacket and hovered in midair clutching its stomach as it howled with laughter.

"Plagg?" Marinette asked in confusion. She recognized the black kwami, she just wasn't expecting to see it fall out of Adrien's jacket.

"I see you have met my kwami." Adrien said with a resigned note. "He explained the Sandboy incident to me, after I grounded him from cheese for a week, but wouldn't tell me who Ladybug was. I didn't press it knowing your need for secrecy."

"Yes, a cruel week but by far not the worst punishment I have ever faced." Plagg said as he recovered, wiped his eyes and flew up to look over Marinette. "I accepted it even if it was all their fault."

"Tikki said it was your plan." Marinette said glaring at the black kwami.

"My plan, Tikki's blame." Plagg said with a smirk. "That's how we split the work, fairs fair after all. It looks like you are in a predicament mow though. Let me guess, Tikki saw a perfect ball of yarn and naturally played with it as any self-respecting kwami should. Yarn, being a deceptive bastard, trapped her and then you transformed without realizing she was in the yarn and, well, are stuck with the impurity that is negating all of your abilities."

"She flew into it while dancing but yes that's the gist of it." Marinette said with a sigh before looking at a slightly stunned Adrien. "Adrien, is there any point in denying that you are Cat Noir."

"None, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile and for once the pet name filled Marinette with happiness. There was certainly a lot more that they would have to talk about but right now she had to get Adrien's aid with her problem. "There is no way for me to deny it, not that I want to anyway."

"Good cos you are the only person who can help me." Marinette said with a smile. "Your cataclysm can destroy the impurity."

"Oh yes it can, this is going to be fun." Plagg said with glee. "I rarely get to help Tikki this way, I am so going to rub this in once she has recovered from her experience. Karma is a bitch but I love her when she works in my favor."

"Will it hurt you?" Adrien asked with concern, ignoring his gleeful kwami, and Marinette smiled at his caring tone.

"Yes, but nothing major and anything is better than this." Marinette said pointing at the yarn. "Plus we don't have time for any other possible remedy. So please help me kitty."

"Of course, I will always help your bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile that melted Marinette's heart. "Plagg, claws out!"

In seconds Adrien had transformed into Cat Noir. Marinette was looking forward to being able to return to normal. She was expecting it to hear Adrien's Cataclysm but when it didn't happen and all she heard was a playful chuckle, she looked down and groaned at what she saw.

Adrien was on his back batting the ball of yarn that was hanging from her wrist, laughing as he did. It looked like Adrien had a few more cat tendencies when he was transformed than even he knew.

"Er kitty." Marinette said clearing her throat. "Stop playing with the yarn and help me."

"Oh yeah, sorry couldn't help myself for some reason." Adrien said with a rueful smile and a very cute embarrassed blush. "Cataclysm."

In seconds Adrien's right hand was glowing with his power of destruction. He then used the glowing hand to bat the ball one more time.

As soon as the power of pure destruction touched the yarn it dissolved. At first Marinette didn't feel any pain but as soon as the destruction passed along the yarn touching her body she felt it. It wasn't as bad as she expected, but it wasn't pleasant at the same time either. it basically felt like a long sunburn as it traveled along her body in seconds and destroyed all of the yarn, the completed part of the scarf, and the needles and thus destroying the impurity.

The effects of the destruction of the impurity were instantaneous. As soon as the last part of the scarf and yarn were destroyed, her miraculous instantly timed out. The force of the time out was something she had never felt before. Marinette was thrown backwards and right into Adrien's arms, he had clearly moved to stand behind her as his power destroyed the impurity. The force of the time out flung both of them into the wall with a lough thud as she was freed of her transformation. Tikki had shot out, bounced off the far wall and landed on the chaise, passed out for the next day. Marinette winced in pain, red lines ran along her body were the yarn had been but she was free and that was all that mattered.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said quietly.

Marinette felt the transformation fall as Adrien slid down the wall and sat down with her in his arms. Marinette smiled as she sank back and into Adrien's chest, his arms comfortable around her waist. She was barely aware of Plagg zooming over to see if Tikki was okay.

"I think there is a lot we have to talk about." Adrien whispered into Marinette's ear.

"Yes there is, but I am exhausted and in too much pain from this experience to talk right now." Marinette said softly as she closed her eyes. "So, for the moment, just hold me Adrien."

"Always, m'lady." Adrien whispered lovingly in her ear, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

Marinette sighed in contentment at that as she sank into Adrien's arms, glad to be free from the impurity. Soon she would tell Adrien her other secret but she had no energy to do so right now. In seconds she was in a contented asleep, lost in the bliss of the moment.

 **Again sorry that this is late, nothing could be done to avoid that. Delays are going to start to pile up and there will be at least one missed weekend next month but sometimes life gets in the way of fanfiction. Sass helps further my theory that all male kwamis have the double letter at the end of their names (Wayzz, Plagg, Trixx, Sass), all female kwamis have it in the middle somewhere (Tikki, Pollen, Duusu) and Nooroo's gender changes depending on the translation due to two sets of double letters in his name. That's enough for this note,** **a** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the more oneshots I can write in this series before the show has the big reveal. Keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	31. Experiment

**Here is the 31st oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is another in the long line of prompts suggested by the true hero of this series without whom I would not have such a range of unique prompts to work with. There are a few housekeeping things to mention here. Firstly, I will not be uploading next week due to a real life commitment that will take the entire weekend so I will not have the time to write a oneshot. Secondly, it has been brought to my attention that Trixx is considered by some to be female in the English dub due to being voiced by a voice actress. Regardless of this development, I will continue to see Trixx as male due to the fact that his pronouns were identified as he/him on twitter around the time of Trixx's debut. That's** ** ** **enough rambling, sit back and enjoy my latest oneshot in this series, Experiment.  
******

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Experiment** **\- When Ms. Mendeleiev needs a student volunteer to help her with an experiment that she planned to show the class, she selects Adrien as the volunteer. Adrien agrees but due to the nature of the experiment he has to take off his ring. Taking Plagg's advice, Adrien entrusts it to Marinette. However, his luck doesn't hold and an akuma attack strikes during the experiment causing Marinette to run off. Adrien runs after her to get his ring, what could go wrong?  
**

* * *

 **Experiment**

The bell rang to signal the start of class. Ms. Mendeleiev strode into the room at that moment and cleared her throat. All vestiges of conversation died as the whole class fell silent and gave their teacher their undivided attention, except for Chloe who was staring at her nails. Unlike Miss Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev was a stern teacher who expected all her students to be ready to go as soon as the class started without exception.

Adrien didn't mind Ms. Mendeleiev's strict approach to teaching. He enjoyed the sciences, well all classes as it meant that he got to be a normal kid, but for the sciences it meant practical lessons, which in chemistry meant experiments. He wouldn't begrudge a teacher being strict when it came down to a class that dealt with hazardous chemicals.

That was precisely what today's class was going to entail. On Mendeleiev's desk was all the glasses, beakers, chemicals and equipment needed for a big experiment. Clearly today was going to be a demonstration to the class for a future practical that they would do on their own.

"Alright class, today I will be showing you a chemical reaction that you will be tested on later in the semester." Ms. Mendeleiev said once everyone was paying attention to her. "So pay close attention to what I am doing, your test will both be a practical demonstration showing that you know how to conduct the experiment and a write up to show that you know the science behind the reaction that you will be creating. Now I need a volunteer to help me with this as this experiment requires two to complete it within a lesson's time slot."

Naturally no one volunteered. Adrien wasn't surprised. Few in the class wanted to help when put on the spot and Mendeleiev could be quite demanding when she wanted to be.

"Very well I shall choose the volunteer from amongst you." Mendeleiev said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Let's go alphabetically, Adrien please come up and help me out."

"Yes Ms. Mendeleiev." Adrien said politely as he got up from his seat and walked up to the front of the class.

"Please grab a lab coat and come over to help me." Mendeleiev said sternly. "And do as I say, this is a complex experiment that you will be studying for a few weeks so that you all can do it in pairs when the test comes."

"Yes ma'am." Adrien said with a nod as he went to grab a lab coat before heading over to his teacher.

"Wait, what is that?" Mendeleiev asked grabbing his right wrist and turning it over to look at his ring.

"My ring? Is there a problem with it Ms. Mendeleiev?" Adrien asked confused as to what his ring had to do with the experiment.

"Yes, take it off." Mendeleiev demanded as she released his wrist. "You cannot wear that here."

"I thought that the school rules did not prohibit jewelry." Adrien said still confused at Ms. Mendeleiev's actions.

He really didn't want to remove the ring given that it was actually his miraculous and removing it willingly would deactivate it. There was a always a chance that Hawk Moth could create an akuma at any moment so Adrien always needed to have his miraculous active at all times just in case.

"While wearing it is not against the rules, it is necessary to remove it given the nature of the experiment." Mendeleiev said glaring at Adrien. "You will be wearing thick plastic gloves to protect your hands from the corrosive chemicals that we are working with and your ring could tear the gloves and expose your hand to hazards. Also, I am the teacher so you have to do what I say in my class when I say it. Now take off the ring. You can give it to someone in the class for safekeeping. Do so quickly so I can get the demonstration started, it is a complex experiment."

"Yes ma'am." Adrien said with a nod as he returned to his bag.

Despite Adrien's reluctance to ever remove the ring, he had planned for this possibility just in case he was ever ordered to remove the miraculous. There was always a chance that he would be asked to take it off for some reason so Adrien always kept a small jewelry pouch, usually reserved for cuff links, in his bag just in case of this eventuality. Once the ring was willingly removed, Plagg would be absorbed back into it and change the ring's appearance in very distinctive way that Adrien did not want to have to explain.

Opening his bag, Adrien was surprised to see that Plagg had flown into the bag at some point, likely after he had been called to help Ms. Mendeleiev, likely to avoid being at the front of the classroom and to eat the cheese Adrien had stashed there for his greedy kwami.

Plagg was holding an index card that Adrien usually made notes on, only this one had a crude drawing on it. Adrien thought, based on the twin pigtails, that it was supposed to represent Marinette and decided to trust his kwami's advice and give the ring to Marinette to look after.

Taking his ring off with great reluctance, Adrien watched as Plagg vanished into it with an annoyed look on his face. Then he pulled out the small pouch and put the ring in it, pulling the draw string ties to close the pouch. Adrien then put his bag down and turned to Marinette who sitting with Alya at the desk behind him.

"Marinette, can you look after this for me." Adrien said to a suddenly stunned looking Marinette as he handed the pouch to her. "I trust you to look after it, it is very special to me."

"Y-yes do can, can Adrien do, I, er, mean, can do Adrien." Marinette stuttered out as her cheeks went red with a blush for some reason as she took the pouch with trembling hands and gingerly put it the purse she always had at her hip.

"Thanks." Adrien said with a smile as he turned and went to help with the experiment. "Ok Ms. Mendeleiev. I am ready to help."

* * *

It took all of Marinette's willpower not to audibly sigh as she watched Adrien calmly work with Ms. Mendeleiev on the experiment. She knew that she should be taking notes and paying attention to the lesson as there would be a test on this experiment, but she was just too distracted by her emotions for Adrien to care right now. Alya would understand and provide her with the notes she needed later, for now Marinette allowed her emotions to take control of her.

First there was the fact that Adrien had trusted her above all others with his ring. It was something she knew Adrien always wore but for the love of her she had no idea why. He never explained it and it seemed pretty recent as a few of his modeling pictures from before he started school didn't show him wearing it. Marinette had assumed that it had been a gift from his mother that he had found around the time he started school and as such special to him.

That was why Marinette had refused to look at it after he had given it to her in a pouch. Clearly the pouch was meant to protect it and as such she was not going to violate his trust in her by looking at it and possibly damaging it, she couldn't live with herself if she did that. The fact that Adrien had trusted her with it above Nino or Chloe made her respect his wishes and keep it safe, and filled her with a joy that she had never felt before.

Once that feeling had settled, she had then just decided to use this perfect excuse to gaze at Adrien to, well, gaze at Adrien. He was working diligently with their teacher as he helped her conduct the experiment so he was too focused on the experiment to notice Marinette's loving gaze. Marinette could have sat like that forever but of course her luck had to kick in and fate had to choose that very moment to fuck with her happiness.

In hindsight Marinette knew that she should have seen it coming, but at the time she was just extremely pissed off. As she was gazing at Adrien, there was a loud explosion somewhere in Paris that naturally got the attention of the entire class. It was all near enough to their school to send a shock wave through the school that was powerful enough to shake the classroom.

The effect of this happening while an experiment involving volatile chemicals was as spectacular as expected. The shock wave shook the desk that the equipment was on and caused some of the stands to topple over. Almost instantly some of the chemicals mixed and caused an explosion of their own. Fortunately it wasn't a dangerous one, but it did created a colored cloud not too dissimilar to Rose's failed attempt to make perfume did. Of course the cloud was flammable and ignited when it made contact with a lit Bunsen Burner.

"Merde." Marinette swore under her breath as she ducked under the desk to avoid any potential danger and used the distraction and commotion to crawl to the door and run out of the classroom.

"Just as I was enjoying the show, Hawk Moth had to rear his ugly head and create a fucking akuma." Marinette muttered to herself as she ran towards the locker room and the girls bathroom within it to transform into Ladybug. "Now I have to change and fight it all while holding onto Adrien's ring and not knowing if he's okay after what just happen in class. This akuma had better not be one of the chatty ones cos I am in no mood to be conversational today."

By the time Marinette had finished her annoyed muttering she had reached the locker room. Opening the door and closing it behind her she breathed a sigh of relief that it was clear of people. Still she was going to use the bathroom to transform in, it was the safest place to do so, but no people here was also good. She was just about to head there when Tikki suddenly flew right in front of her face.

"Marinette, stop!" Her kwami said in a panicked, commanding voice that Marinette had never heard before. "Don't change yet, you have to return Adrien's ring to him first."

"What?" Marinette asked confused at her kwami's sudden panic and lack of caution. "Why?"

"Because he needs it right now." Tikki said with a pleading tone. "Please, don't question it and trust me Marinette, you have to do this."

"Tikki, I have to change to fight the akuma." Marinette pointed out to her suddenly agitated kwami. "As much as I love Adrien, I need to fight this akuma first. I'm sorry Tikki but I have too, it is my duty to protect Paris as Ladybug. Tikki, sp…"

"It's not just a ring, it's a miraculous." Tikki almost screamed at Marinette as Marinette was about to say her transformation phrase. There wasn't much that Tikki could have said to cut off Marinette at that point but her kwami had managed to say something that had succeeded in doing just that.

"What?" Marinette asked confused. "It is? But there is only one ring miraculous."

"Yes and Adrien is the one who owns it." Tikki said exasperated. "Adrien is the wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous, he is Cat Noir."

"Tikki, are you sure?" Marinette asked confused.

Tikki had just revealed Cat Noir's identity to her, something she was sure that the kwami wasn't supposed to do. If Tikki was right about who Cat Noir was then there was a whole string of consequences that would come from that revelation.

"Trust me Marinette." Tikki said and Marinette did trust her kwami more than probably anyone else on the planet. "Adrien is Cat Noir. Normally I cannot divulge this or else I would be breaking a magically binding oath that has some very painful consequences if I break it. However, this is classified as an emergency so I am allowed to break my oath because Adrien needs the ring to fight with you. Also, while I am not well versed on our lore, I believe that if one holder transforms while another miraculous is in their possession and thus is absorbed into the transformation, something bad could happen with the mixing of powers, especially if it is the mixing of my power of creation with Plagg's power of destruction. Opposites tend to have a volatile reaction when it comes down to pure, raw, magic."

"Oh ok, I believe you." Marinette said weakly once Tikki was done with her rant. "I trust you Tikki, but this is a lot to take in."

"I know it is but we can deal with the consequences of all this later." Tikki said and as if to emphasis her point another explosion happened, this time a lot nearer to the school.

"Does, does he know that I am Ladybug?" Marinette asked. She knew that she should heed Tikki's words but she couldn't understand why Adrien would give him his miraculous. "You know, cos he gave me the ring."

"No he doesn't." Tikki said with a sigh of relief at Marinette accepting her words as true. "Likely Plagg somehow got a message to him before he took it off to give it to you as he knew that you would be the best to hold it given that you are also a miraculous holder. You will probably have to tell him yourself but that can wait until after the attack."

"Yes, you're right it is only fair that I tell him my secret if I know his." Marinette said as she reached into her purse and pulled out the pouch that had Adrien's ring in it. Marinette had a lot to process now that she knew that Adrien was Cat Noir but as Tikki pointed out, she could deal with that later. "I'll go give it back to him now."

Marinette turned to the door and was about to walk towards it, expecting Tikki to fly into her open purse, and find Adrien when the door burst open. As if on cue, Adrien burst into the locker room and in full view of Marinette and Tikki. Merde.

* * *

"Fuck." Adrien muttered as he sprinted after Marinette. "Where the hell are you going in such a hurry Marinette?"

Adrien had been knocked over by the shock wave, as had Ms. Mendeleiev. Therefore, when the beakers holding the chemicals broke and reacted with one another to produce a flammable gas that then ignited, they were safely under the desk at the time.

The problem was that the resulting explosion had sent the entire class into a panic despite their plethora of experience dealing with akuma attacks. Normally Adrien would be able to handle that pretty well, he could use it as a cover to escape and find a deserted place to change into Cat Noir, but this time he couldn't.

He didn't have his ring, which meant that he couldn't transform. He had to go find Marinette and get it back from her. He could make up some excuse like that it had been a gift from his mother or something and he wanted to personally keep it safe during the attack in order to avoid having to explain to Marinette what it really was but he still needed to get it back.

Yet for some unknown reason Marinette had decided to run out of the classroom as soon as the gas had ignited, avoiding panicking like the rest of the class. This had forced Adrien to use the confusion and chaos to follow Marinette out of the classroom and into the hallway to find his strangely behaving friend.

The girl had had a head start on Adrien and was surprisingly fast but Adrien could still follow her. Discarding the lab coat and gloves as he ran, Adrien followed Marinette through the school. He didn't know where she was going but he would follow her until she stopped, he needed his ring to fight the akuma. He felt naked and vulnerable without it.

Finally he saw Marinette run into the locker room. Adrien smiled. There was only one way into and out of the locker room so he could easily follow her in and get the ring. Adrien slowed to a walk so that he could catch his breath and gather his thoughts as to what excuse to give her.

That changed when another explosion, this one much closer, rocked the school and almost knocked Adrien over. Adrien picked up his pace again and decided that the situation negated being polite. As such he burst through the door as soon as he reached it.

The sight that greeted him was certainly not one that he had been expecting. Marinette was standing looking at the door holding the pouch that had his ring in it in her hands with a wide eyed look of shock that would have made any deer in headlights proud. That alone was not a surprise to Adrien, Marinette seemed to startle easily around him for some reason, no that was reserved for the wide eyed pink kwami floating over Marinette's shoulder.

"Adrien!" Marinette said recovering from the shock faster than him. "You need this."

"What?" Adrien asked as Marinette threw his pouch at him, which he caught instinctively. "Oh yeah I do. Is there any reason to address the elephant, or in this case the kwami, in the room."

"Not at the moment." Marinette said as another explosion rocked the school, this one sounding like it was right outside. "Suffice it to say that there is no point in denying who we are to one another and that we are going to have to talk about this once we defeat Hawk Moth's latest akuma."

"Agreed." Adrien said as he opened the bag and pulled out his ring. As soon as it was in his hand Plagg materialized in a black ball of magic.

"That was a nice nap." Plagg said with a yawn and a languid stretch as he floated up into the air and turned to see Marinette and her kwami in the room with them. "Er, what is going on, why are we all present in the same room."

"Akuma attack during the experiment." Adrien said as he put the ring on. "Marinette ran off with you and I followed to get you back so that we could fight it."

"And I had to stop my human from transforming the ring in her purse." The other kwami, Tikki if Adrien's memory from the Dark Owl incident served him right, said. "She was just about to give it back when your human walked in and startled us."

"Ah ok, I assume the akuma attack is ongoing and we can deal with this later right?" Plagg said to which Adrien, Marinette and Tikki all nodded. "Well, what are y'all waiting for. Transform already."

"Plagg, claws out!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

In seconds Ladybug and Cat Noir were standing in the room looking at each other. Adrien marveled at the fact that Marinette was the girl he loved but as she had said, there was an akuma on the lose that they had to deal with first. Confessions of love could come later.

"Come on kitty." Marinette said with a smile. "Let's get to work, then we can talk about this."

"As always, a great idea bugaboo." Adrien replied with a grin.

Marinette just nodded, turned and threw her yo-yo so that she could swing out of one of the high windows of the room. Adrien ran after her, he was glad that their secrets were out and looking forward to what their future discussions were going to hold.

 **Another short and sweet Basic Class oneshot, which is good seeing as I likely couldn't have written anything longer than a Standard Class this week. As I said earlier, I will be unable to upload next weekend as I will be out of town at something that requires my complete attention. As such, I will try to write one of my bonus oneshots for y'all that will be released at an unknown time due to my schedule (but it will be worth it as the bonus one I have in mind is one of my better self created prompts).** **A** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming as the more prompts I get, the less I have to come up with on my own and I am not that creative of a person. Keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	32. Love

**Here is the 32nd and the first surprise oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I know I said that I was taking a week off due to a hectic schedule and that had been the plan, but as with many things in life, things change. My hectic week wrapped up early and then I watched 'Frozer' (there will be no explicit spoilers from that episode but there will be a few references to it) and this short, sweet and cheesy oneshot idea came into my mind and I had to write it down while it was still fresh in my mind and I had a brief lull in real world duties. Next thing I know, I'm 2,000 words in and able to finish it for this weekend (from idea to completed oneshot it was about 16 hours). I have done this before with my stand alone Miraculous Ladybug oneshot 'Unrequited Love' (a love theme in both is purely coincidental) and thus had to get this oneshot down while I had the chance. Consider this sudden oneshot a thank you to all my loyal followers who have supported this story in various ways since I began it back in March, it would not be at this stage without y'all. Next week will return to the normal schedule of prompts that I have to work with thanks to y'all and I will still work on an actual bonus oneshot at some point, both the next two week's worth of oneshots and the bonus have been outlined and are ready to go. Anyway, enough rambling, sit back and enjoy my latest surprise oneshot in this series, Love.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Love** **\- Marinette finally gets up the courage to confess her feelings to Adrien after all that has happened recently. However, when Marinette tells Adrien that she loves him, he turns her down saying that he is in love with someone else ... Ladybug. That alone surprises and frustrates Marinette but then Adrien reveals a few details about his pursuit of Ladybug that allows Marinette to realize exactly who Adrien is. What will Marinette do about this sudden revelation and will it finally solve the woes of her love life? There's only one way to tell.  
**

* * *

 **Love**

"Adrien, wait up!" Marinette called out as she ran as fast as she could to catch up with the love of her life.

"Marinette, what's up?" Adrien asked as he turned to face her, a look of confusion on his handsome face.

Marinette panted and doubled over out of breath when she finally reached Adrian. For what felt like 1,000th time, Marinette cursed the fact that her miraculous only gave her enhanced endurance and stamina while in costume and not when she was in civilian form. Things like shortness of breath and exhaustion still happened when she was in civilian attire and served as a reminder that she was not in the best shape she could be.

Marinette had had a good reason for running after Adrien today. He was about to head home for the weekend and Marinette had finally gotten the courage to admit the truth to Adrien. She was going to tell him that she loved him.

It had been a few things that had finally given her the courage to confess to Adrien. The first had been Cat Noir. Her fellow superhero loved her, well he loved Ladybug, and despite her constant rejections, he kept trying. That made her realize that if Adrien knew she liked him and rejected her, something she was trying to brace herself for, then she would still keep trying until he finally gave her a chance.

The second had been Kagami. The Japanese girl in their class clearly had a thing for Adrien and as she had said to Marinette the other week, Kagami was not going to hesitate in getting what she wanted. She had been trying to make some moves on Adrien, but he kept rebuffing them or not noticing them in classic Adrien fashion. All the while, Kagami was making it clear to Marinette that she was after Adrien and that she knew Marinette loved Adrien as well and that Marinette was not going to get in her way of getting with Adrien.

All that was why Marinette had run after Adrien. It had reached a peak today with Kagami shamelessly asserting herself with Adrien during a fencing practice and making sure that Marinette, who had been spying on the class, could see what Kagami was doing. It was time Marinette came clean to Adrien and let him know how she felt. Alya would be so proud of her.

"Er, Marinette, what's up?" Adrien repeated, and Marinette realized that she had been staring blankly at him again while she thought about what brought her here.

"Oh, yeah, here me am, I, er, right." Marinette stuttered out blushing furiously as she drew in a deep breath and failed to get her heart rate under control. "I wanted tell to something you. I mean I wanted to tell you something."

"Ok shoot." Adrien said with a smile.

"I, I, I." Marinette stuttered out before it all came out in one go. "I love you Adrien."

"What?" Adrien asked looking even more confused than ever. "You, love me?"

"Yes, I love you." Marinette repeated as her heart continued to beat at a rate that she thought was not humanly possible. "I have ever since you gave me your umbrella and apologized for the gum incident. I, I've been trying to find the time to tell you for ages, but I didn't know how and well as you can see, this is what the result it. Then after the whole Kagami mess the other week and her making it clear that she is after you as well, I thought that I had to tell you the truth."

"Oh, yeah, Kagami has been pretty blunt recently, despite all that happen at the ice rink the other day." Adrien said with a nod. "I, I didn't know you felt this way about me Marinette."

"Well I haven't exactly been subtle." Marinette said trying not to grumble as the air began to deflate out of her and she steeled herself for the inevitable rejection. "Pretty much everyone knows that I like you, other than you of course."

"Yeah, I am very bad with girls." Adrien admitted sheepishly and, in a way, that only reinforced Marinette's love for him. "I appreciate that you have told me, I really do, cos I am, as you can probably tell, pretty clueless about this sorta stuff, but, well, I don't see you the same way. You're a great friend Marinette, and a close friend at that, but I love someone else. Sure, she keeps rejecting me every time I ask but I will not stop trying, I told Kagami that last week. It wouldn't be fair to either of you if I didn't tell you the truth, I'm sorry."

"I, I get that." Marinette said dejectedly but she could understand where Adrien was coming from, after all she was constantly rejecting Cat Noir because she was in love with Adrien, why couldn't Adrien do the same to here.

Still her curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask about who her true rival for Adrien's affections was. Perhaps Marinette could figure out a way to show Adrien that she was better than this girl and win him over in the end.

"Who is she?"

"Um, well, it's embarrassing." Adrien said with a slight blush that Marinette couldn't help but find adorable, until she heard the next few words out of Adrien's mouth. "But if you want to know, I'm in love with Ladybug."

Marinette thought that the vein in her forehead was going to burst at that. Adrien was, in fact, in love with her and he didn't know it because she had to keep her superhero identity a secret. It took all of Marinette's self-control to not scream, look furious, fall down, or do anything that could tip Adrien off to how she truly felt at that precise moment. Still, she couldn't think of anytime that she had turned Adrien down while being Ladybug, the only person she did that to was Cat Noir.

"I didn't know you knew Ladybug." Marinette said as neutrally as possible. Fortunately, Adrien was so oblivious to female subtlety that he wouldn't notice her anger or frustration at the situation.

"She's save me a few times from angry akumas, including Riposte who was Kagami, but every time I try to express my feelings for her she tells me that she loves someone else." Adrien said with a said sigh, not meeting Marinette's gaze. That was a good thing as she was close to having steam blowing out of her ears at what Adrien had just said.

"I mean the only reason why I asked Kagami out was cos the other day I tried to give Ladybug a rose, but she turned me down, so I decided to try for someone else who I thought I might also have feelings for." Adrien said, and something clicked in Marinette's mind at that specific reference. "But in the end, I decided it was best to keep perusing Ladybug no matter how many times I get rejected. Anyway, I had better go, see you on Monday Marinette. Sorry about all this."

"It's ok." Marinette said in a high-pitched voice as Adrien turned and walked out of the school and to his waiting car.

As soon as Adrien had left, Marinette did collapse in the entrance to the school. Thankfully it was late enough that no one was around to see Marinette fall painfully to the stones as the emotions that had come from that conversation with Adrien had finally overwhelmed her.

She had been confused about the reference to her constantly turning down Adrien but then he had mentioned the rose. Only one person had ever tried to give Ladybug a rose, and that person was Cat Noir. It was all too specific, all too perfectly in line to be a coincidence. The only way for Adrien to know that Ladybug had rejected someone who had tried to give her a rose would be if that person had been there when said rose was presented to her. There was only one conclusion to draw from this, Adrien was Cat Noir.

Marinette didn't know how to deal with that bombshell or the fact that she had a patrol with him tonight. All she knew was that she would have to think of something to do and fast because the only way that she was going to be with Adrien was if he knew the truth. If he knew that the girl he was in love with and the girl who had just awkwardly confessed her own love for him was one and the same. She had a few hours to come up with a plan for how to sort all this shit out.

* * *

Marinette stood on the rooftop, leaning on the stone edge and signing at the large ad of Adrien modeling for the perfume named after him that ran along the side of the opposite building. She sighed in love at the image of the boy who she loved and who she knew loved her back, even if he didn't realize it yet himself.

Marinette had eventually pulled herself off the floor earlier and made it home where she had asked Tikki for advice. The kwami had refused to confirm Marinette's theory that Adrien was Cat Noir but told her to go with her heart and that should she do so, she would be pleased with the results.

Marinette had been confused at Tikki's advice and decided that it was best to reveal just enough information to Adrien so as to allow him to figure it out on his own just as she had figured out that he was Cat Noir.

She had a plan in place, that was why she had transformed early and arrived ahead of schedule at their rendezvous point for tonight's patrol. All she needed to do was wait and then she could prod him in the right direction providing she kept up the front she had planned for their inevitable conversation. Then and only then could she ensure that they could be together.

The plan didn't stop her heart from racing and her mind from panicking, but she fought it will all her might. The time would soon be upon her, she had to be ready for when that time came. That was when she heard the soft landing of Cat Noir on the rooftop behind her and the sound of his bell dinging lightly as he landed. Letting out a sad, loving, and deliberate sigh at the image of the clueless boy she was in love with as said boy made his way over to her. It was showtime.

* * *

Adrien landed on the rooftop where he and Ladybug were scheduled to start their patrol as lightly as, well, a cat. That was when he noticed that Ladybug was leaning on the stone railing looking out over Paris and at one of the massive ads for that damned perfume with his name on it, something that always embarrassed him.

As he walked over to her, he noticed that she gave a sad sigh directed at the ad of all things. Instinct took over and a moment later he was by her side. She may reject him constantly, but he still cared for her and would be with there for her whenever she needed it, no matter how painful it might be for him that she didn't reciprocate his feelings for her.

"What's up bugaboo?" Adrien asked quietly as he reacted her and joined her in leaning on the balcony.

"What? Oh, hey Cat Noir." Ladybug said with another sigh though she didn't turn to look at him. "Sorry, I've had a bad day."

"What happened?" Adrien asked, his voice now filled with concern. "You know you can talk to me about anything right?"

"I know, but, well, this is about the boy I love, and I didn't think that you would want to hear about him." Ladybug said and Adrien felt a stab of pain in his heart at that, but he put it to the side, perhaps this was a chance to find out more about his mysterious rival and possibly get Ladybug to move on from him.

"Oh, well I am still here to listen." Adrien said after a pause. "I know that he is what is preventing me from being with you, but I am still willing to listen, no matter how painful it will be. This cat does have excellent hearing after all."

"It won't be painful for you." Ladybug said still not looking at him. "But it was, and will be, painful for me. If you must know, I finally told him that I loved him today when we were leaving school. He, he told me the same thing as I tell you whenever you ask me out."

"He's in love with someone else." Adrien said empathizing with the other guy's situation but also refraining from smirking at the fact that he now had a better chance with the love of his life. He was not going to feel that sorry for a dude who didn't want to be with someone as amazing as Ladybug.

"Got it in one." Ladybug said with another sad sigh. "He loves someone else, but I will not stop trying, especially now that he finally knows who that I love him. Adrien may be stubborn and oblivious at times in his own resolve to pursue a girl who loves someone else, but I know that I can win him over in the end."

As Ladybug had been saying this she had been pointedly looking at the ad of Adrien across the street. That was a pretty clear indicator of who she liked but Adrien had to clarify that, it could have some confusing ramifications if he was right.

"Adrien?" He asked Ladybug. "You mean Adrien Agreste, right? That's why you are staring at one of his many ads right now, isn't it?"

"Got it in one." Ladybug said sadly. "I told him today just before he went home and that was when he told me that he was in love with another girl. I should have seen that coming but, well, it was tough. I know you sympathize with me about this given how you feel about me."

"More than you could imagine." Adrien replied as he glanced over at his akuma fighting partner, looking at her in a new light.

A soft, comfortable silence fell over them which was the perfect excuse for Adrien to think on what Ladybug had just said. He had a lot to sort through but there was something nagging at him and he needed a moment to come to the answer his subconscious wanted him to come to.

The first thing that came to Adrien's mind was the fact that based on Ladybug's confession, she loved him and didn't know it. She was in love with his civilian identity without knowing that he was also Cat Noir, whom she did know loved her back. That alone made him want to reveal his identity to her then and there, but he refrained from doing so. Not because he didn't want to but because something else had just fallen into place in his mind that revealed the full extent of the information that he could gleam from Ladybug's whole statement.

Ladybug had said that she had made her confession of love to his civilian identity at school that day before the patrol. Only one person at school had told him that she loved him today, well other than Chloe but that was normal for his oldest and meanest friend, and that girl was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette's confession earlier had surprised him, he hadn't seen any signs that she liked him other than the pictures in her room and her chaise but that was explainable given her passion for fashion. Still, it had made him think on the way home but ultimately, he had decided that he was still going to try and persuade Ladybug into giving him a chance rather than see if there was something there between him and Marinette.

Plagg had been as unhelpful as usual when Adrien had resorted to asked his kwami for advice, the little imp just gave him a few strange references that Adrien didn't get. Basically, all Plagg had said was that in the end it would work out but that because Aphrodite was fucking with them due to some slight that Plagg had caused her 2,458 years ago, it might take a while.

However, based on what Ladybug had just said, there was no doubt in his mind anymore that Ladybug was Marinette, which meant that the girl he was in love with was also in love with him. That was certainly a new development.

Something of his internal thoughts must have shown in Adrien's face as he turned to look at Ladybug, at Marinette, and saw that she was looking at him with a kind smile on her beautiful face. Adrien's brow furrowed in confusion, earlier she had seemed so sad. Now she was happy and looking at him with love in her soft, bluebell eyes.

"Figured it out then have you kitty." Marinette said softly to him. "Or should I call you Adrien."

"How did you know, Marinette?" Adrien replied just as softly, confirming her belief that he was Cat Noir.

Marinette didn't reply, instead she raised up on her toes, wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck, and lightly kiss Adrien on the lips. It was a soft, loving, chaste, kiss that ended way too early for Adrien's liking but when they split the was looking him in the eye, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Your story early was more than enough for me to figure it out." Marinette said after a moment. "It was upsetting at first given the rejection I had been fearing ever since I realized I liked you, then a shock when you revealed you that loved me and didn't know that I am Ladybug, and then when you elaborated, you gave info that made it easy to conclude that you were Cat Noir. Only he would know of the rose and the constant, until now, rejections."

"So, you decided to do something similar to allow me to figure it out as well." Adrien said realizing exactly what Marinette had done. "Clever, but we have been really stupid haven't we. We have been in love with each other for ages and not given the other a chance because we didn't know that we were in love with one another. Wow, it is really confusing to say that out loud."

"Yes it is confusing, and yes, we have been really stupid, but I blame that on the miraculouses creating this love square." Marinette replied with a small nod. "But, we can talk about that later, for now, kiss me kitty, kiss me like you have always wanted to."

"With pleasure, m'lady." Adrien said with a wide grin as he lowered his lips to hers.

This time when they kissed it was much, much, more intense. They poured their passion and hearts into the embrace, finally able to be with the one that they had been in love with for so long but not realized it until today. In that moment, the superheroes of Paris were lost to all but one another as for the first time they shared what they had always desired with the other now that they finally could do so. At last they were sharing their love.

 **A nice, short, sweet, cheesy, surprise for y'all. As I said earlier, this was just one of those sudden epiphanies that I had to write down and managed to do so in a lull in my busy week so y'all can enjoy a oneshot this week. The usual schedule will resume next week. As of right now, I have 10 prompts in my backlog for this story but of those 10, 2 are self generated bonus prompts and 2 are the special designate prompts (again self generated) that will be the penultimate and the last oneshots in this series and only released after the show has had the big reveal for real so as to wrap up this oneshot collection. Anyway,** **hat's enough for this note,** **a** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming, without your suggestions I could not create such creative oneshots that have kept this series going for months. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	33. Toys

**Here is the 33rd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. After last week's surprise, self generated, spur of the moment, oneshot, this one is a return to the suggested prompts and yet another in a long list of fantastic suggestions that I have received from the same follower that includes such notable oneshots as 'Memory', 'Dreams', 'Messenger', 'Trickster', and 'Wraith'. I want to take this moment to thank all those who have followed, favorite, and/or reviewed this story not that all 3 of those categories have reached triple digits. After failing to find a truly success with a fic since my first foray into fanfiction many years ago with my unfinished piece 'Lord Voldemort's Secret Apprentice', only this story and 'Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 1: Purity' have managed to exceed 3,000 views or 25 favorites with Miraculous Revelations coming in a solid second in all categories to my first fic (though I expect this collection to one day become my number 1 fic). I say all this because after the release of 'Love' last week, Miraculous Revelations had 1.81k views that day, second most all time and only 100 off the record (and doubling this story's daily personal best). So I take this moment to thank all who have supported this story and made it into the success it has been so far, to y'all I say Thank You. Anyway, enough rambling, y'all aren't here to read an author's note but to read the latest oneshot in this series so sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot, Toys.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Toys** **\- Marinette is once again babysitting Manon while the little girl's mother is working. Unfortunately, due to being Ladybug, Marinette is behind on homework. After failing to get help from Alya, Marinette turns to Adrien and invites him over to work on assignment with her. Marinette leaves Manon to play in her room. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that arrangement now, could it?  
**

* * *

 **Toys**

"Catch me Marinette." Manon yelled gleefully as she jumped from Marinette's bed and into Marinette's arms.

Marinette, for her part, easily caught the 5-year-old as the latter leapt from her lofted bed. Holding Manon up above her head, Marinette twirled around as carefully as possible, given her natural clumsiness, as the younger girl shrieked in delight at the action.

"Weeee! I'm flying." Manon yelled in joy before Marinette carefully set the energetic little girl down on the floor before she got too dizzy to hold Manon aloft. "That was fun Marinette, let's do it again!"

"In a moment Manon." Marinette said smiling down at the little girl. "I need to check something first."

Marinette was once again babysitting the local news anchor's young daughter while Nadja Chamack was on the air. Marinette's parents were out at a catering event, so she was home alone with her boisterous charge. Marinette had instinctively accepted the babysitting job without first checking her schedule, a mistake she knew that she would regret.

First there was the usual massive disruption to her schedule and the one that Marinette knew she could never accurately predict unless Chloe Bourgeois was nearby and that was an unexpected akuma attack. Hawk Moth seemed to have been much more active as of late with 5 attacks in the last few week, so another attack could come at any moment.

Marinette had a gut feeling that her arch enemy was preparing something big, unpredictable, and almost impossible to fight given the recent string of really powerful akumas that she and Cat Noir had had to face. However, Marinette didn't know when that could be, so she always had to be on her toes just in case she had to spring into action at a moment's notice. An akuma attack could come at any minute and she didn't know what she would do with Manon should one occur. She had been lucky that Manon and Alya had been trapped together the last time that had happened, but Marinette knew her luck wouldn't be that good a second time around.

Her second scheduling problem was of course her other arch nemesis, homework. Due to this sudden spat of akuma attacks, Marinette had been forced to increase her patrols with Cat Noir and as such was once more behind on her homework and her sleep. She had tried to stay ahead during the lull that had occurred a few months back, but that had been during the summer months and now that school was back along with the akumas, she was already behind on all her homework.

Marinette opened a small box and pulled out a few of the dolls she had made so that Manon could play with them while she looked at her homework schedule. Since the day that Manon had been akumatized, Marinette had made a few extra dolls. The first one Marinette had made had been a doll of Puppeteer, Manon's akumatized form, and naturally the little girl loved it the best of all the dolls as it was a doll of Manon with powerful super powers.

Other than Puppeteer, Marinette had also made Rena Rouge and Carapace for the heroes and Despair Bear, Sapotis and Reverser for the akumas. She had plans for Queen Bee, Style Queen and the other recent akumas they had faced, but these were side projects that Marinette worked on only in her very limited free time.

While Manon was playing, naturally having her own akuma as the villain who always succeeded in getting all the Miraculouses, Marinette picked up her homework planner from her desk. Flipping it open, the planner showed her that she had an assignment due the next day that she still had not started yet. Marinette had accepted the job to babysit Manon on instinct, and because she liked the little girl a lot, so she hadn't noticed the assignment until now.

Groaning at the assignment, Marinette pulled out her phone and texted Alya to ask her to come over and help look after Manon while she worked on the aforementioned assignment. Alya was an expert at dealing with children around Manon's age given her own twin sisters and experience babysitting them. This way, Alya could help babysit and Marinette could try to catch up on her homework.

Alya's response came a few moments later. It was not what Marinette had been hoping for.

 **Alya:** Sorry, can't help you bff, got a date with Nino at the moment ;).

Marinette stared at the response and had to control herself from not groaning out loud at it. Alya and Nino being together certainly was very cute, but there were times when they needed to be a couple and Marinette had not be an awkward third wheel for them and apparently this was one of those times. A moment later, while Marinette was still annoyed, a second message from Alya came through, this one instantly cheering Marinette up.

 **Alya:** I think Adrien is free though and is also working on that assignment according to Nino. Why don't you message him and see if he can come over and help? Would enable you two to spend some alone time together ;). Gtg, have fun with Adrien.

Marinette decided that it was best to not reply to Alya after that. Her best friend was clearly busy with her own much more successful love life. Marinette was also busy what with her unfinished homework and the babysitting job. Still, Alya's advice had been good and Marinette quickly messaged Adrien to see if he was free to come over work on the assignment with her.

As Alya had pointed out, it was an excuse to spend some time with Adrien. Manon was such a handful that the little girl could ensure that Marinette wouldn't turn into a nervous wreck around Adrien. She would be too busy looking after the mischievous Manon to succumb to her usual stuttering, incoherent, clumsiness, around the boy she loved.

A moment later Adrien's response came through and Marinette looked at it, her heart pounding. She really wanted him to be able to come around.

 **Adrien:** Hey Marinette! Yeah, I haven't finished that assignment either. I would totally be down to come over and work on it with you, I really need to get out of my room. I'll ask dad, he should say yes if it is for school, extra curricular activities, or fashion. Give me a moment.

Marinette waited for Adrien's follow-up message. She didn't even realize that she was holding her breath as she did. All she cared about was Adrien's reply while Manon played happily in the corner with the new dolls.

Moments later the reply arrived. With hesitation, Marinette opened it to see if Adrien could come over.

 **Adrien:** Dad said I can come over for at most an hour to do the work but that I have to bring back one of your designs for him. You really impressed him with the hat.

Marinette quickly replied that she would be happy to provide a design for his father. It took a lot of effort for her to not sound giddy in the message, but she somehow managed it. Once it was sent, she looked over at Manon and smiled. She would get her homework done, babysit Manon and spend time with Adrien. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

* * *

When the doorbell rang about 20 minutes later, Marinette was nervous as she, and Manon, went downstairs to answer it. She had told the little girl that a friend was coming by to help her with homework and that the girl could play in her room while they worked. Marinette had hoped that the little girl would stay in her room but a 5-year-old's curiosity was second only to a cat's and Manon had ignored Marinette and come down with here.

Now all Marinette could do was hope that the little girl didn't embarrass her in front of the boy she was madly in love with. That hope lasted all the way until Marinette had opened the door to reveal Adrien standing behind.

"You're not Alya." Manon said looking up at Adrien. "You're pretty though, are you Marinette's boyfriend?"

Marinette felt her face flush at the idea of being Adrien's girlfriend, then felt her face drain of blood when she realized that Manon had just said that to Adrien. If Marinette still wasn't holding the door open, she was sure she would have collapsed and possibly died from the embarrassment that the blunt and innocent little girl had just caused her. She noticed that Adrien had a slight flush from Manon's words, but he recovered a lot quicker than Marinette did.

"And who might you be?" Adrien asked as he squatted down to look Manon in the eyes.

"I'm Manon." Manon said helpfully with a wide smile. "Marinette is looking after me while my mommy is at work."

"Marinette is a kind and good person." Adrien said, and Marinette felt her heart flutter and knees weaken at Adrien's words. "You are in safe hands if you are with her. However, we are just friends at the moment. I'm here to do some big kid homework with her, boring stuff that wouldn't interest you."

"Big kid work isn't fun." Manon said with an unhappy pout on her face.

"No, no it isn't." Adrien agreed while Marinette focused on the fact that Adrien had said that they were only friends at the moment. Marinette didn't want to read too much into those words but her subconscious hope couldn't be controlled.

"You know, you look like the kid in all her pictures." Manon said, once again bring Marinette crashing back to reality and fueling her current humiliation. Marinette was starting to regret the idea of inviting Adrien around while Manon was here.

"I know, I saw them when she had Jagged Stone around for that reality show he was on a few months back." Adrien said with a small laugh. "That doesn't mean Marinette likes me like that. Remember, Marinette is amazing at fashion design and I am a fashion model who is her friend and her age, so it would make sense that she has my pictures on her walls."

"Oh, she has them everywhere." Manon said happily, and Marinette had been too busy basking in Adrien's complement to realized just how bad it was about to get so she couldn't stop the little girl in time. "Marinette has pictures of you in her chaise, her bathroom, under her bed, under her pillow…"

"Such imagination." Marinette said as she finally regained her composer due to utter panic at the situation. She quickly ushered a now confused looking Adrien in and picked up the little girl. "Innocence of youth and all that. Come on Manon, Adrien and I have work to do, don't you want to play Puppeteer with the dolls in my room? It's either that or help me and Adrien with big kid work."

"Yes!" Manon shrieked in joy. "I will take all the miraculouses. No one can stop the all powerful Puppeteer!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Marinette gestured Adrien to the small table in the dining room and hurriedly took Manon upstairs. As much as she wanted to chastise the little girl, Marinette knew that she couldn't. Manon was an innocent child who didn't know much better. Hopefully, Adrien would just brush it off once Marinette got downstairs and gave his a plausible explanation for Manon's statement.

In moments, Manon had forgotten all about Adrien as she went over to play with the dolls. Marinette smiled at her charge before she returned downstairs. She had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

As soon as Marinette left, Manon rushed over to a small box where Marinette kept the handmade dolls. She liked to new ones, especially the one of her as it was a toy based of her own experience, what little girl wouldn't like that, but she suspected Marinette might have a few more that she was hiding from Manon. Even if they weren't akumas or heroes of Paris, Manon wanted to play with them as part of her latest game for the toys.

Opening the box in which Marinette kept the dolls, Manon wasn't sure what she found but she was sure that they were dolls. Inside the box was a small pink thing with three black spots, wide adorable eyes, and a nervous look on its face. Next to it was a small black thing of the same style, only this one had whiskers, cat eyes, a tail and a bored expression on its face.

"New toys!" Manon almost shrieked in happiness as she pulled out the two things she had found. Manon had no idea what they were, but she knew that she wanted to add them to her game. "Come on, I have a game to play with you two. All will bow before the might of Puppeteer!"

With that, Manon brought the two now petrified kwamis to the other dolls to play with. She would have to ask Marinette about them later, but for now, she had a few miraculouses to steal.

* * *

"Under your pillow?" Adrien asked as soon as Marinette come down the stairs.

"Er, fell off my board cork they next my bed night last to." Marinette managed to babble incoherently out as she felt her face heat at Adrien's question before she managed to regain her composure. "I mean fell off my cork board next to my bed. It's where I have pictures for everyone in class. I just put them there for safe keeping until I could put them back up again later. Manon was jumping off my bed earlier, she must have seen them there."

"And your bathroom?" Adrien asked, a mischievous smile on his face telling Marinette that he was messing with her but her panic was refusing to notice that.

"I keep a few fashion magazines there, you know, to read for inspiration when I'm in the bathroom." Marinette said hurriedly. If she could provide Adrien with plausible explanations, then his absolute obliviousness to her feelings for him would kick in and he would accept the explanation. "Manon must have seen your spread in the latest edition of _Style Queen_."

"Ah ok, makes sense." Adrien said as he began to get his books out for the project and Marinette breathed a sigh of relief at that. "So, should we get this assignment started, I'm way behind on it at the moment."

Smiling, Marinette sat down at the table with Adrien, she had already brought her books down earlier while waiting for him and opened her own work. Manon was taken care of, Marinette was now able to catch up on a little work and she was with Adrien. All was going well with Adrien, for once.

* * *

For the next few hours while Manon played happily in Marinette's room, she and Adrien worked on the assignment. It wasn't romantic, or anything more than two platonic friends doing school work together, but it was still nice to be with Adrien and not be a nervous wreck around him.

Adrien seemed to have forgotten about Manon's humiliation of Marinette earlier and once they had gotten down to work and all thoughts of that conversation had disappeared from Marinette's mind while they were focused on the assignment. Oddly enough, Marinette felt like she was working with Cat Noir for some reason, what with the way she felt working with Adrien that afternoon. Between the focus on the assignment, the way she was able to control her emotions around Adrien, and the company of Adrien, Marinette was able to understand and get most of the work done pretty quickly.

They weren't finished with the assignment when, in Marinette's mind, the nice moment with Adrien was shattered by a call on her phone. Looking at the caller ID, Marinette realized that it was Nadja, Manon's mother, calling her. That meant that it must be almost time for Manon to go home.

"Marinette, how is my little Manon?" Nadja asked over the phone as soon as Marinette answered it.

"She's great Ms. Chamack." Marinette said with a smile. "Just happily playing in my room."

"Ah the innocence of a child." Nadja said on the other end. "And it's Nadja, Marinette. You don't need to call me Ms. Chamack"

"Sorry, habit from school." Marinette said into her phone. "Are you on your way to pick up Manon?"

"Yes, just leaving the station now." Nadja said and Marinette could hear the sound of a door opening on the other end of the line. "Thought I would give you the heads up so that have a little time to try and pry Manon away from whatever game she is playing at the moment."

"Thanks." Marinette said with a small laugh. "I'll go make sure she is ready, see you soon."

"See you soon and thank you for looking after my Manon, Marinette." Nadja said before she hung up. Marinette put her phone down and turned to Adrien.

"Manon's mother is on her way to pick her up." She explained to the boy she had a huge crush on. "She will be here soon, so I could use your help to pry Manon away from whatever game she is currently playing upstairs."

"I'll try but I am not great with kids." Adrien said nervously. "Limited experience and all that."

"You're great at everything you do." Marinette said which elicited a slight blush from Adrien and one from her when she realized what she had said and tried to clarify it, naturally only digging herself deeper. "Er, I mean you were great when you were with her earlier so you will, er, be fine now with her. Not that you're not great at everything, you are, no doubt about it, it's..."

"Thanks Marinette." Adrien said, thankfully cutting her off from the hole Marinette was digging. "Let's go get Manon."

Marinette just nodded as they headed up to her room. Opening the door, they found Manon on the floor in the center of it, the dolls around her, playing a game. That was to be expected, what caused Marinette and Adrien to suddenly stop was the two things, or more accurately the two kwamis, in Manon's hands.

"Wee." Mano said as she pretended to make Tikki fly in her right hand. "Don't worry Ladybug, we will come save you, even if Puppeteer is unbeatable."

Marinette was speechless. Somehow Manon had found Tikki and judging by Tikki's frozen look of panic on her little face, the kwami had frozen and pretended to be a toy so as not to giver herself away. That alone was bad enough given that Adrien was here and could easily see Tikki, Marinette could explain away Tikki if need be. What made it worse was what was in Manon's left hand.

In her left hand was a very bored looking Plagg. Cat Noir's kwami, who by all rights should not be there, looked as if this had happened to him before. There could only be one reason for why Plagg was here and the ramifications of that were too much for Marinette to fully handle at that moment. One thing was for certain though. If Marinette's theory was correct, it meant that Adrien would know what Tikki was and what the kwami represented.

Marinette glanced at Adrien to confirm her theory just as he looked over at her. She could see a look of panic, surprise, fear and hope in his eyes and she knew that at least the first three were mirrored in her own expression, there was no doubt that Adrien had figured out the truth as well.

The hope was a surprise but then she remembered that Cat Noir loved her, which now meant that Adrien loved her, and if he had found out that Marinette was Ladybug then of course there would be hope there. That was a hope that Marinette was more than willing to fuel and reciprocate given what she had just learned, but first they had to deal with Manon.

"Manon, your mother is on her way to take you home." Marinette said softly as she approached the little girl who had fortunately been too distracted by her game to realize the shock she had caused Marinette and Adrien. "You are going to have to stop playing, put the dolls away, and get ready to go home."

"I don't wanna stop playing." Manon said defensively, the way any 5-year-old would when interrupted while playing a game.

"You have too." Marinette said kindly to the young child she was looking after. "But remember, you will be back here soon and can play with my dolls some more then. I'll even have a few new ones for you to play with."

"Really?" Manon said putting Tikki and Plagg down and looking up at Marinette with wide, bunny-like eyes.

"Yes." Marinette said with a smile. "I've been working on Queen Bee, Style Queen, Queen Wasp and Malediktator dolls. They are all connected so perhaps we can play a large game with them when you are next here."

"YAY!" Manon shrieked causing Marinette to flinch slightly at the loudness of the little girl. "Will Adrien be back?"

"I'm sure he will be." Marinette said glancing over at Adrien who nodded, clearly understanding he needed to be here so that Manon could play with Plagg again. "He'll be back and who knows, we may have some teenage gossip for you then."

"Ooh." Manon said clearly interested. "Are you finally going to tell him how you feel about him?"

"Probably." Marinette said in a stage whisper so that Adrien could hear her. Given what the pair had just learned, Marinette was feeling very confident about her feelings for him being reciprocated. "But boys are dumb at times, I'll have to be blunt with him when the time comes. Still, I know that deep down, he has wanted this for a long time, he just hasn't had the right motivation until now. Neither have I if I'm being honest, but that's irrelevant."

Marinette couldn't help but smile at the spluttering cough that Adrien gave from behind her while Manon laughed. She and Adrien would talk about all this later and Marinette was sure that they would come to an answer that both had been wanting for a long time.

"Now come on, let's get your coat and stuff and see your mother, she misses you." Marinette said as she gathered Manon up in her arms.

Manon just laughed as they sorted everything out, Adrien helping where he could though Marinette could tell that he was distracted by everything he had just learned. It only took a few minutes to sort out the little girl, pack up the dolls, and take her downstairs, right as the doorbell rang. Marinette had left Adrien waiting in her room so as not to alarm Manon's mother and so that they could talk as soon as she returned to her room.

"Mama." Manon yelled as Marinette opened the door and Manon jumped into her mother's arms.

"Manon, did you have a good time?" Nadja Chamack asked her only child as she lifted the little girl into her arms.

"I did." Manon said happily. "Marinette was great."

"Thank you, Marinette." Nadja said with a smile. "After my career boost following the Prime Queen incident, it has been hard to find time for Manon, but she really does enjoy her time with you when you can spare it."

"And I her." Marinette replied smiling at Manon. "It is always a pleasure to look after her, despite her limitless energy."

"The boundless energy of a child is a wondrous thing, is it not." Nadja replied shaking her head slightly. "Thank you again Marinette and wish your mother welcome for me."

"Your welcome and I will." Marinette said. "Goodbye Manon."

"Goodbye Marinette." Manon said with a smile and a wave as her mother carried her out with a final nod to Marinette before she closed her front door.

Sighing Marinette took a moment to compose herself before going upstairs. This was going to be interesting conversation.

"Finally." Plagg said stretching and floating into the air once Marinette was back in her room. "Not the worst scenario I have been in, you try being petrified by an angry gorgon and having to ask the Guardian of Earth to free you after a few decades in a stone prison. This was nowhere near as bad but it is still an unpleasant experience when you are kwami handled by a child."

"Yes, well as bad as that was we have a more pressing issue to address Plagg." Tikki said looking between Adrien and Marinette as she floated up to join Plagg. "Is there any point in denying what is obvious?"

"Not really." Adrien said looking to Marinette. "I wasn't expecting this to happen today. I'm not complaining either, just wasn't expecting to discover who my lady was in this kinda manner that's all."

"Neither was I but I guess Manon forced our hands when she found and decided to play with the kwamis." Marinette said with a small smile. "At least the kwamis played their part."

"Yes, we did." Tikki said with a nod. "It wasn't fun, but it was doable. We have had a lot of experience being inanimate objects."

"Yeah, you try being used as a ersatz rod to clean out a sewage pipe in Hades because you lost a bet to a vindictive Guardian of Darkness." Plagg grumbled. "And all cos she needed to do some post party cleaning. You do not want to know where she stuck the rod."

"So, Marinette what now?" Adrien asked looking at her and clearly ignoring the strange statement his kwami had made, one that Marinette neither understood nor wanted to understand. "You know, seeing as we both know who the other is, bugaboo."

"Now we have to talk about all of this." Marinette said as she crossed over to Adrien and put her arms gently around his neck. Usually she wouldn't be this forward or confident, but she knew that Adrien liked her back, so it was finally time to truly confess her love for him, to him. "But that can wait. I've been wanting to do this for a long time, kitty, and I know that you have wanted it as well, even if you didn't know it was me."

Before Adrien could respond, Marinette raised herself onto her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. In that moment, everything else in the world disappeared, all her cares and worries were gone as Marinette finally kissed Adrien.

All that mattered to Marinette in that instant was her and Adrien and their confession of love for one another. They could talk about all this later, but for now she was going to enjoy her moment of triumph, all thanks to the innocence of a 5-year-old child. In that moment, Marinette could not be happier.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot. Most of the upcoming oneshots are expected to be Simple Class oneshots, which given my schedule is actually pretty good as I doubt that I will have the time to write anything longer. As of right now, there are 5 official prompts in my backlog with two self created ones that will either be used once those 5 have been written and I have not received anymore suggestions, or as bonus prompts should I feel the need to release one as penance for failing to maintain my high standards regarding uploading weekly(ish) prompts. That's all for this post oneshot a/n.** **A** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming, without your suggestions I could not keep this series going as I personally believe that I am terrible at coming up with prompts but I am my own harshest critic. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	34. Lunch

**Here is the 34th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. As with last week's oneshot, this is another oneshot in the long line of oneshots suggested by the same follower, without whom I would not be able to write such a unique and diverse series of oneshots. At some point I will properly list all the fantastic oneshots that this follower has suggested to me, but there are still 3 prompt suggestions to be written, bringing the total oneshots suggested to 21 oneshots in this series that cover a huge range of topics. Anyway, as of right now everything is proceeding on schedule so no need for a hiatus anytime soon, I hope. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Lunch.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Lunch** **\- Adrien wants to get out of his room and actually be a normal teen over the weekend, however he needs an excuse to persuade his father to let him out. That excuse? Why going to Marinette's to review some of her fashion designs after the success of her hat, an excuse his father would buy. Gabriel agrees, and Marinette enthusiastically says yes so Adrien can get out of the house over the weekend. Deciding it would be nice and respectful to pick up lunch for them, Adrien does so with a little help from Plagg. It's lunch, what could possibly go wrong over a simple meal with a friend? Right?  
**

* * *

 **Lunch**

"Father, may I have a word?" Adrien asked as he walked into his father office with a slight knock on the door.

"I am very busy Adrien." His father replied from behind his desk, not even looking up at him as he stared at his computer screen.

"It will only take a moment and it relates to fashion and my modeling." Adrien said knowing that his father would react to a business related proposition if nothing else.

"Very well, you have a minute." Gabriel Agreste said still not looking up from his work. "What do you have for me?"

"I was wondering if I could go over to Marinette's this weekend and see if she has anymore designs that you might like." Adrien said quickly, nervous as to how his father would react. "You know, after the success her hat had the other week. Even the Queen of Fashion reviews, Audrey Bourgeois, liked Marinette's design so that has to mean that my friend has talent, right? I just thought that Marinette may have more to offer and she is a local and relatively unknown talent."

"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, right?" Gabriel asked finally looking up from his computer and at Adrien. "The baker's daughter if a recall, Nathalie?"

"That would be correct sir." Nathalie said professionally from her usual position at his side, tablet out and ready. "She won the hat design contest with that pigeon feather design, synthetic for the show of course. Madam Bourgeois said that she was the best new find since yourself, high praise indeed coming from that woman."

"I remember both the hat and Audrey's praise." Gabriel said with a nod. "As obnoxious, stuck up, spoiled, and mean spirited as Audrey Bourgeois is, she does have an eye for new talent. Very well Adrien, so long as Miss Dupain-Cheng agrees, something I am sure her feelings for you will guarantee if I am reading her not so coveted glances at you correctly, I give you permission to go over and work with her on fashion related business only. She has the potential to be my protégé one day, especially if you see what is right in front of you, so this could be very beneficial and allow me to snap up an upcoming fashion star when she is young."

"Er thanks father." Adrien said with a small bow and a smile. Adrien had no idea what his father was referring to regarding Marinette, he was just glad that his father was going to let him out of the house this weekend. "I will ask her and let my bodyguard know when to take me to her place, should she say yes."

"Very good and don't forget all your other work as well." Gabriel said turning back to his computer. "And Adrien, she will say yes, of that I am sure."

"I won't." Adrien said as he backed out of his dad's office, closing the door behind him and deciding not to think too much on what his father was trying to imply about Marinette.

Honestly, Adrien had only used the fashion excuse as a means to try and get out of the house and spend some time with a friend this weekend. Marinette was perfect for what Adrien needed. She had a ready excuse that Adrien could use on his father, her exceptional fashion skills, and of his close friends she was the easiest to hang out with.

Nino and Alya were always together and other than Chloe, who could be a handful at times, and Kagami, who was more a rival than a friend, Marinette was the only other person in his class that Adrien was good friends with. Now all he had to do was hope she said yes. With that thought, Adrien entered his room, pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to Marinette regarding the situation.

* * *

Marinette was minding her own business, sowing her latest design with her sowing machine when her phone suddenly went off. Tikki was busy dancing to the latest Clara Nightingale song on her computer as always, so Marinette just glanced at her phone to confirm that it was Alya and then return to her work, she could reply to Alya later. That had been the plan, but as soon as she saw who had messaged her, everything that could possibly go wrong did so in the most spectacular fashion.

As soon as Marinette saw the smiling face of Adrien Agreste on her phone to indicate that he had been the one to message her, her natural clumsiness that the boy she was madly in love with made ten times worse kicked in. Jumping at the shock that Adrien was actually messaging her out of the blue, Marinette managed to cause the fabric she was sowing to catch in the machine, tear and ruin the project. She then missed her chair on the way down and pulled the fabric with her as she crashed to the floor.

Had that been all, Marinette could have walked away with some of her pride intact, but luck was not on her side today. As she pulled the fabric, the material got stuck in her sowing machine and pulled the machine off her desk and down onto her prone form, hard. Fortunately, the jam that the fabric had caused had stalled the machine and turned it off or else it could have been worse, but it still wasn't great, and it was very painful.

"Did Adrien message you?" Tikki asked as her kwami flew over to look at Marinette on the floor surrounded by a ruined project, with a sowing machine on her back. Marinette noted that her kwami was not sounding particularly sympathetic at her predicament.

"How did you guess?" Marinette grumbled back at her apparently unhelpful kwami.

"Your reaction." Tikki said with a smile and twirling to the song on Marinette's computer. "You only get really clumsy while sitting down when Adrien is involved so I assumed that the message was from him."

"Well once I get this damn machine off me, I can check the actual message and see what he wants." Marinette said as she rolled over painfully onto her back and dislodged the sturdy and heavy machine, she would have to sort it out later. "This design is ruined but if Adrien is messaging me then it will probably be worth it. Hopefully he wants to spend some time with me and then we can finally start dating and then..."

"Slow down Marinette, you should disentangle yourself first." Tikki interrupted cutting Marinette off from her latest daydream about being with Adrien. "You know how you get when Adrien is involved, best to avoid any more damage than absolutely necessary or else you might not be able to see him if he wants to come and see you that is."

Marinette just grumbled, she didn't have the energy to confirm that Tikki was right about everything, no point in inflating her kwami's ego anymore than it was already inflated. Slowly getting up, Marinette had to resist all her urges to just pick up the phone and check Adrien's message as she slowly disentangled herself from the fabric she had been working on and the cord of the sowing machine.

Once she knew that she was free of any entanglement, Marinette picked up her phone and checked the message from Adrien. Again, Marinette would have to thank Tikki later because the message would have caused another very clumsy reaction from her.

 **Adrien:** Hey Marinette! Are you free this weekend? I managed to persuade my dad to allow me out so long as I only go to yours and we look over a few of your fashion designs that he might be interested in. Dad's very impressed with your work, thinks you have the potential to become his protégé one day, so he readily allowed it. I just want to be able to get out and spend some time with an awesome friend like you, and if I can help you and your passion as well, then that's a bonus. Let me know if you're free and if so when. Adrien xoxo.

Marinette knew she wasn't breathing or making much sense as she typed out her reply to Adrien telling him she was free this weekend and to come by whenever and stay as long as he wants. As soon as that was done, Marinette's emotions got the better of her and she fainted at the the thought of Adrien getting special permission to leave just to see her. Marinette fell back to land hard on her floor with a silly grin plastered across her face, unable to hear her kwami's smug statement as Tikki flew over to check on her.

"Told you that you should make sure that you are free before opening a surprise message from Adrien. Looks like it was good news, this will be interesting."

* * *

Adrien had to wait a little longer than expected but eventually Marinette's reply came through. It took him a moment to understand what Marinette had messaged him, but once he did,Adrien smiled. He was going to get out of the house this weekend and for something that wasn't Cat Noir related, as much as he enjoyed that aspect of his life.

 **Marinette:** YES! Am free weekend all come time any want you stay long want. XXX

Adrien assumed that the disjointed and enthusiastic response was because of the fashion aspect of the weekend as it was one of Marinette's biggest passions. He was just happy that he had an excuse to leave the house and see one of his friends. Adrien quickly replied that he would come over Saturday around lunchtime and pick up lunch for them on the way. With that done, Adrien fell back on his bed and smiled, he couldn't wait for the weekend and all that it would bring.

* * *

Adrien perused the shelves of the grocery story near Marinette's place, wondering what to get them for lunch. Usually his personal chef made anything Adrien wanted, plus an immoral amount of Camembert for Plagg, but today Adrien had decided to sort it out himself. It added a personal touch to it in his mind. Also, Marinette's parents had made them food when he had headed over to practice for the gaming tournament, so this was a way to give back to them and to Marinette for their hospitality the last time he was at their home.

Adrien decided that it was best to go with a light lunch for them, something prepared and that didn't need to be cooked as he had no idea what he was doing when it came down to using anything in a kitchen. As such, he picked up two ready-made salads, a selection of dressings, condiments like salt and pepper, and some fruit for dessert to maintain the healthy meal he had selected. He also picked up a large wheel of Camembert to keep Plagg happy while he and Marinette were working.

Adrien had thought that that would be all, however, as they were passing the baked goods in the store he suddenly felt a tug on his jacket. Looking down, Adrien saw Plagg floating inside the jacket, pointing to a wrapped batch of freshly made chocolate chip cookies. Giving his kwami a strange look, Marinette's family were bakers and the best in Paris at that, they made their own cookies that were better than any others Adrien had tasted so he had no idea what Plagg was getting at.

Plagg was insistent on getting the cookies however, so Adrien just shrugged and added the cookies to the cart. Adrien trusted his kwami, despite Plagg's oddities and occasional cheese related incidents, so he would get the cookies as well. It did save them having to bother Marinette's parents for free cookies so there was a small upside to them.

With lunch taken care of, Adrien went to the checkout to pay for it all. It was the least he could do if he was going to go to Marinette's place and help with her fashion designs.

"Is that all dear?" The middle aged, female, clerk asked him politely while staring intensely at him, something Adrien was used to given his image was all over Paris.

"Yes ma'am." Adrien said with a smile as he handed over the bills to pay for it. "Thank you."

The woman just nodded as she put the money in the register and then began to bag the items for him. Neither Adrien nor the store clerk noticed that one of the pepper sachets broke open and spilled its contents all over the plastic bag of cookies as they were being bagged.

With his bag of food in hand, Adrien walked the short distance from the grocery store to the Dupain-Cheng family bakery, his bodyguard following him in the car the entire way. While Adrien appreciated his father's concern for him, there were times when he wanted to be treated like a normal teen. Today was one of those days as he got to spend the afternoon with a good friend.

Reaching the bakery, Adrien entered the apartment part and went up the stairs to the front door of Marinette's apartment. Ringing the bell, Adrien waited patiently for Marinette to answer the door.

He only had to wait a moment, though he did hear an audible crash from the other side and a muffled curse that he was sure came from Marinette. If Adrien had to guess, his clumsy friend had fallen down the stairs as she came down from her attic room to open the door. Something he had grown to expect from Marinette.

Adrien smiled at Marinette as she opened the door. Despite her slightly disheveled appearance his friend was beaming at him, a slight blush gracing her cheeks that Adrien trumped up to the fall she had just had.

"Hey Marinette, you ok?" Adrien asked as he walked in and embraced her in a hug, Marinette going slightly rigid at first before enthusiastically hugging him back and leaning into him for a moment longer than was normal for a friend but Adrien didn't think much of it.

"Yeah, happens more often than you think." Marinette said very quickly as they broke apart and she led him into the apartment. "I am very clumsy after all."

"True, you are." Adrien said with a smile that got a slightly deeper blush out of Marinette. "So, are your parents in?"

"Parents, no." Marinette said shaking her head. "They are busy down in the bakery, so I'm alone with you, I mean we're alone until they get back."

"And they don't mind you being home alone with a boy." Adrien said with a grin to try and show he was joking.

"Wha?" Marinette said, surprised at his statement and tripping over her feet so Adrien had to catch her, causing Marinette to blush even deeper.

"Sorry, just making a bad joke." Adrien said with an embarrassed smile as he let go of Marinette.

"No, ok, I, I." Marinette began to stutter, her blush again deepening to a shade of red that Adrien wasn't sure a human could achieve. "Trusted parents by, I mean they trust me don't worry."

"Okay, well I brought lunch." Adrien said holding up the bag as he tried to change the topic to something less awkward. "So, you or your parents don't have to cook. We just lay the table and eat."

"Oh, yeah, that's probably a good idea." Marinette said as she turned to the kitchen and began to get plates and cutlery while Adrien placed the bag on the table and got out the two boxed salads. "I can get clumsy while cooking around you so that might be bad. I mean you know how clumsy I am, so cooking is always a hazard."

"But not baking." Adrien pointed out as Marinette returned with the plates, napkins and cutlery.

"Well obviously not that but I was brought up with it, so it is ingrained in my muscle memory to the point that so long as I am working, I am not clumsy at all." Marinette said with a smile. "Same with using sharp objects that are needed in making clothes and other fashion items. Took a little time and once something is complete my clumsiness returns, which has led to a lot of spilled pastry over the years but that's to be expected."

"We aren't all perfect, it took me a while to get used to the catwalk and to be comfortable at photo shoots." Adrien said as Marinette went back to the kitchen to get glasses and water, once again blushing a little for some reason. "Anyway, I got us a small, light, lunch. Just a few ready-made salads, some fruit and cookies for dessert."

"Really? You brought store brand cookies into a baker's apartment." Marinette said with a note of false scorn and a laugh afterwards to show she was joking as she returned with the glasses and a jug of water, clearly walking very carefully so that she didn't spill the whole jug on him.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." Adrien said thinking on his feet, he couldn't tell Marinette that his kwami had been the one to suggest them. "I know you have a bit of a sweet tooth so I thought I would get something sweet for us and this way we don't have to bother your parents."

"I guess that store brand cookies will do, even if they won't be as good as what my parents can make." Marinette said as she sat down at the table and poured her salad onto a plate.

"No one can match you or your parents with cookies or pastries." Adrien said as he set the bag on the kitchen counter and then returned to his seat opposite Marinette.

"Well I am not great with cookies, macaroons are my specialty." Marinette said humbly, the blush once more returning to her cheeks.

"True, your macaroons are by far the best in Paris." Adrien said causing Marinette to choke slightly and blush even deeper than before as she was eating.

Adrien began to eat as he waited for Marinette to finish her choking, coughing, fit and reply but Marinette never got that chance. All of a sudden there was a very loud, very violent, sneeze that came from the bag that Adrien had left on the counter. Before either teen could look at the sound, a pink blur shot out of the bag and landed with a thud right in the middle of the table.

Adrien saw Marinette's eyes go wide with fear and her mouth fall open, not an attractive site but Adrien would never say that to her, as the pink thing between them sneezed again, though not as forcefully this time. Adrien for his own part was just as stunned as Marinette at the pink thing sneezing between them, there was no doubt in his mind what it was. It was a kwami.

Adrien had no idea what a kwami that wasn't his was doing here but there was only one plausible explanation for it. Kwamis were not supposed to go far from their humans, though Plagg wasn't very good at abiding by that rule, and given the fact that the pink kwami had three black dots on it could only mean one thing; it was Ladybug's kwami.

That fact alone led to another revelation for Adrien. Marinette had to be Ladybug, there was no doubt in Adrien's mind. The love of his life was Marinette. That had a lot of future implications that Adrien would have to deal with, especially now that his father's words the day before came unbidden to the front of his mind, but that could all wait until after he revealed his own secret.

Before Adrien could do anything, the kwami snuffled and brushed its nose as it looked up. That was when it saw Adrien and its eyes went wide in recognition, removing any lingering doubt in Adrien's mind that it was anything but a kwami. That didn't stop it from trying to play dumb.

"Meow." The kwami said in a very bad imitation of a cat, a worried look on its face, and an imitation that Adrien was sure Plagg would laugh at as soon as his own kwami made his grand appearance.

"Yes, she's a cat." Marinette said quickly as Adrien looked up at his now panicked looking friend. "A rare, hairless one, from the Kingdom of Achu. That's it, I won her in a contest."

"Marinette, I know what a kwami is." Adrien said softly to her and he say Marinette's face pale at the realization that Adrien knew the truth. "I know what she means. You're Ladybug, aren't you?"

"Yes and you can't tell anyone." Marinette said with a meek tone and a small nod. "How, how did you know that she was a kwami? Even those who personally saw Pollen when Chloe first used her, though no one on TV saw her cos kwamis can't be filmed, didn't know what she was."

"I know what kwamis are Marinette because I have one of my own." Adrien said with a grin that instantly snapped Marinette's eyes up to look at him, her eyes wide with shock.

Adrien's smile grew wider, he knew that it was time to let Marinette know who he was in a way that only Ladybug would know. This might not be how he had intended their secrets to come out, but thanks to Plagg requesting he get cookies, and what Adrien assumed was little spilt pepper, Marinette's secret had come out. Adrien opened his mouth to say one last word, a word only Ladybug would know.

"M'lady."

 **I couldn't resist leaving the ending like this, it just fit the oneshot. Not all of these oneshots are going to end in romance, sometimes I like a nice cliffhanger to keep things interesting. There are currently 7 prompts in my list, plus two bonus ones I have come up with for when I owe y'all a bonus prompt, so factoring in the expected hiatus that will occur after Thanksgiving when real life really comes for me hard, there will be oneshots through the new year and the end of Miraculous Ladybug season 2.** **Anyway, t** **hat's enough for this note,** **a** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming, without your suggestions I could not continue to write the diverse range of oneshots that this series has managed to accumulate over the months I have been working on it. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	35. Emotions

**Here is the 35th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I am so sorry that this is over a week late and that I took an unannounced week off from writing. Real life and the stresses of it caught up with me a few weeks back and I had to take a break from work. There will come a time in about a month when I will have to place this story on hiatus as I have actual class papers to write, so soon it will be writing for school and not for pleasure unfortunately. I will make it up to y'all with my additional bonus oneshots, 3 of which have been slotted into the list of prompts I have (that list stands at 21 suggested, 7 bonus, and the last two special oneshots), and an addition, special bonus oneshot is in the list for when the time comes. Anyway, this oneshot is another in the long line of oneshots suggested by the same reader who has been as critical to this series and its success as I have been. That is all for now so sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Emotions.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Emotions \- Marinette gets a notification for the latest post on the Ladyblog and decides to check it out. What she sees is the updated list of akumatized villains. Instead of feeling pride in what she has accomplished, Marinette realizes that she has been the root cause, directly or indirectly, for more than a dozen of the akumas she has fought. This causes Marinette to get very upset because she doesn't understand why she has caused so many akumas. That is until Tikki explains that it is due to the nature of Marinette's miraculous. This mollifies Marinette a little but she has a patrol with Cat Noir in a few hours and is still emotionally raw. That won't cause problems when she sees him, will it?**

* * *

 **Emotions**

Marinette was sitting at her desk working on an assignment for one of her classes when she got an email notification on her phone. Glancing at it, Marinette smiled at what the email would entail; it was a notification that Alya had just uploaded a new post to the Ladyblog.

Deciding to take a break from her work, Marinette clicked on the email link so that she could view Alya's latest post. Despite Alya's never ending quest to learn who Ladybug was under the mask, something that made Marinette constantly guilty that she couldn't tell her best friend the truth, Marinette still liked to support Alya's passion for citizen journalism. Today was no different as Marinette looked at what Alya had published. However, Marinette was not expecting what Alya had published.

What Marinette had been expecting was a summary of the latest akuma fight she and Cat Noir had had with Frozer, or more likely an analysis of the latest changes in hers and Cat Noir's outfits that happened due to the ice power ups. Instead, Marinette found an updated list of people who had been akumatized, their abilities and powers, the akumatized object, and how they were defeated in the end. It was a long, and in-depth, list of the 50 or so akumatized villains that Marinette had faced during her time as Ladybug.

Normally Marinette would have been intrigued by the list and used it to remember her many fights and triumphs over the evil that Hawk Moth had inflicted upon innocent civilians. However, as Marinette looked down the list, she realized that she was responsible for a shocking number of akumatizations in Paris. It was a lot more than Marinette had thought she had been responsible for.

Feeling bad, Marinette decided to look through the list of akumas and figure out exactly which ones she was responsible for, either as Marinette or as Ladybug, and either directly or indirectly caused them through her actions. Marinette also want to see just how many she had been responsible for because surely she couldn't be responsible for that many? Right? Chloe was the queen of creating akumas after all.

There were of course the akumatized villains that Marinette knew and accepted that she was responsible for. She had allowed her feelings for Adrien and the chance to spend alone time with him get the better of her and had screwed Max out of his dream to represent the school in the Mecha Strike III tournament. This had led to villain known as Gamer, a villain that Marinette accepted full responsibility for creating and had apologized to Max to after they had won the tournament together.

Marinette also accepted that her jealousy had caused her to destroy Lila in front of Adrien because the bitch was lying and trying to steal Adrien from her. That time, Marinette's emotions had gotten the better of her in that instance and that had created Volpina, arguably the most hate filled villain she had ever faced. Regardless, Marinette felt no remorse for what she had done to Lila or in creating Volpina. The girl had deserved to be taken down a peg and if that meant the creation of a powerful and hate filled akuma then so be it. So long as Marinette didn't fall for Volpina's illusions she could defeat that lying bitch anytime they faced each other, should they face each other again that is.

Marinette's love for Adrien had always been an easy way to cause an akuma, something that Marinette had long accepted as an avenue for getting her classmates akumatized. In addition to Gamer and Volpina being caused by Marinette's feelings for Adrien, Riposte too had been a victim of Marinette's feelings for her oblivious classmate. She had been forced to decide who won a close fencing match between them and had subconsciously allowed her feelings for Adrien to influence her decision, which had caused Kagami to become depressed enough to be akumatized.

Even the negative aspects of love for Adrien had caused an akumatization. Marinette's frustration at her unrequited feelings towards Adrien, and of dealing with Cat Noir's feelings for her that she didn't reciprocate, had led to her taking it out on Andre the Ice Cream Man and that had led to him being akumatized into Glaciator. One of the few akumas that Marinette knew she had created and had regretted doing so. Andre hadn't deserved to pay for her frustration that day.

Remembering Glaciator, Marinette realized that frustration and an excessive, uncontrollable, emotional outburst had also been a factor in creating akumas as it had led to Chloe getting akumatized, twice. The first time had been the Antibug incident when Chloe had been trying to help and Marinette had allowed her personal dislike for the spoiled brat to blind her to Chloe's help with Vanisher and that had caused Antibug to be created.

Similarly, she was a bit harsh, because she knew that it had been her fault that the Bee Miraculous was temporarily lost, and that had allowed Hawk Moth to akumatized an actual miraculous and create Queen Wasp. While the first time was all Marinette's fault, a fact that she accept, she knew that the second time Chloe had been akumatized had been both hers and Cat Noir's fault, even if Marinette felt that she had taken the lead in that incident.

This kind of frustration at citizen helpers who had tried to aid her and Cat Noir but had caused more harm than good in the past. Just as with Antibug, Marinette had allowed her frustration at her Principle's actions as The Owl that she had ended up ensuring, along with Cat Noir, that he would be akumatized and become Dark Owl. That had been a costly mistake as she and Cat Noir had been forced to almost reveal their secret identities to one another and it had been the first of only 2 times that an akuma had dislodged one of her earrings.

As Marinette studied the list she realized that frustration was an emotion that had caused a lot of problems for her as Ladybug. Her frustration with Nadja Chamack during the interview, and the reporter's continued attempts to confirm that she and Cat Noir were a couple, was what had led to the creation of Prime Queen. Similarly, her frustration with her out of touch and slightly odd grandmother had led to her facing off against Befana, while her frustration, and humiliation, with the events of "Fill My Shows" had caused her to play a part in creating Troublemaker.

Frustration and love weren't the only emotions that Marinette had allowed get the better of her and had in some way helped create an akuma. Her curiosity had caused Adrien to lose that strand grimoire of the Guardians of the Miraculouses that his father had. Her actions that day had led to the creation of The Collector. More importantly, it had almost caused Adrien to be withdrawn from school and then she would have never seen her love again.

Marinette's own anger, coupled with frustration again, had caused her problems as well. That had come when Chloe had caused Marinette to almost be akumatized and though she had been calmed down by Ms. Bustier, the akuma had scared her teacher into being akumatized so Marinette took credit for that one. Zombizou was the akuma Marinette was most ashamed of creating because Ms. Bustier had taken the akuma that had been meant for her.

Then there was her competitive streak and desire to aid her friends. That was what had led to her messing with the arm wrestling contest between Nino and Alya's older sister and thus to Anansi, all because Marinette was selfish enough to want to be able to go outside with Nino and Alya. Furthermore, Marinette's desire to help Marc and Nathaniel collaborate and create a comic book had caused her to be vague about the situation and the subsequent misunderstanding had caused Marc to get akumatized and become Reverser.

Of course, it wasn't always Marinette's emotions that had been a problem, sometimes it had been her clumsiness and irresponsibility. She had been clumsy and irresponsible when Alix had trusted her with her watch and had broken it, and Alix's trust, while Alix and Kim were competing in one of Kim's many bets. That had caused Alix to be akumatized into Timebreaker, another akuma that Marinette knew that she was responsible for.

As Marinette looked over the list, she realized that she was responsible in some way for a shocking number of the akumas that she had faced. By her count, Marinette had been responsible for no less than 15 of the 50 or so akumas that she and Cat Noir had faced. By contrast, Chloe, who had a reputation for causing people to be akumatized, was responsible for 13 directly and a 14th indirectly if Marinette counted Chloe's part in akumatizing Ms. Bustier into Zombizou.

Marinette realized then that after a rash of akumas that she had been responsible for, she had overtaken Chloe in the akuma creating department, an honor that Marinette did not want to have. Chloe was a spoilt, selfish, spiteful, brat, while Marinette was supposed to be the good, kind and selfless one and yet it was her and not Chloe who led the city in akuma creations. That revelation caused Marinette to slam her head down painfully onto her desk and groan at how she had caused so many problems for Paris in general and herself and Cat Noir in particular.

"Marinette, what is the problem?" Tikki asked, her kwami flying over to see what was up and leaving whatever it was that she had been doing to check on Marinette. "You normally only act this way because of Adrien but he hasn't done anything too oblivious lately, has he?"

"No it's not Adrien. The problem, Tikki, is that I am responsible for several people being akumatized in Paris." Marinette wailed, a little over the top. "More than even Chloe, she's only been responsible for 13 or 14 if you count Zombizou, I have caused 15. That makes me a terrible person."

"Marinette, you and I both know that that's utter nonsense." Tikki said a little reproach in her voice. "You are a great person. You are kind, caring, considerate, selfless, and you always put others before yourself. You were chosen by Master Fu to be Ladybug and that means something. Only a good person would be trusted with the power of the Ladybug Miraculous."

"Thanks, Tikki." Marinette said giving her cute kwami a sad, small, smile. "But that still doesn't help me feel better. I got 15 people akumatized one way or another. Some directly, others indirectly. Even though a few of them aren't fully my fault, it's not good Tikki."

"Who Marinette?" Tikki asked flying into Marinette's face and looking her in the eye. "Who are you responsible for?"

"Directly I have caused Volpina, Riposte, Befana, Anansi, Glaciator, Antibug, Dark Owl, and Gamer." Marinette said listing off the akumas she was responsible for. "Then indirectly or partially I am responsible for Reverser, Queen Wasp, Prime Queen, The Collector, Zombizou, Troublemaker, and Timebreaker. That's more than Chloe. While I accept that I have caused them, I didn't realize how many I had caused until now. I am a huge reason why Paris is constantly being attacked."

"Marinette, it isn't as bad as you think." Tikki said after a moment's thought. "Yes, some of them you are responsible for, but you are only human so it can be expected. Gamer and Volpina there is no question. Your frustration at those who sought to join the superhero game without training and doing more harm than good also caused Antibug, Queen Wasp, and Dark Owl to be created. You are also responsible for Anansi, Befana, and Glaciator because various emotions that you are not in control of were to blame. As for Riposte, that was an honest mistake, and Reverser was an honest misunderstanding. The other 5 weren't your fault."

"Of course, the other 5 were my fault." Marinette said sadly. "I was supposed to be target for the akuma that akumatized Ms. Bustier into Zombizou. I refused to play Nadja's game and caused her to get fired and thus become Prime Queen. I took the grimoire from Adrien that was the reason for his father becoming The Collector. My clumsiness and irresponsibility led to Timebreaker. Lastly, it was my idea to allow Jagged Stone to fill my dad's shoes and my anger at what happened that caused Penny to snap and become Troublemaker. See Tikki, I am responsible for all of them."

"I still count 10, the other 5 weren't fully your fault." Tikki countered. "It's a lot, more than anyone but Chloe, but it's not a bad thing Marinette."

"But it is." Marinette said, not convinced by Tikki's logic. "I am responsible for creating many of the problems that I have had to solve. It makes me question whether or not I am cut out to be Ladybug. Is there something wrong with me Tikki? How could I have created so many akumas?"

"It's not your fault Marinette." Tikki said before the kwami sighed heavily and added. "It's mine."

"What?" Marinette asked, her confusion temporarily abating her despair. "How is it your fault?"

"It's a side effect of the Miraculous." Tikki said with another heavy sigh. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to tell you but Alya has forced my hand in this regard. Usually these things happen gradually but given the frequency of use due to Hawk Moth's activities, you, and likely Cat Noir, have accelerated the issue. It isn't a bad thing, it is what makes you Ladybug but given how this has made you feel, you should know the truth."

"The truth?" Marinette asked with a hint of worry. "Tikki, what is going on?"

"Ok, have you noticed how most of the akumas you are responsible for have been the recent ones?" Tikki asked and Marinette just nodded at her kwami. "That is because of a side effect of the Miraculous known as the Bleeding Effect. The early akumas you are responsible for cannot be attributed to the Bleeding Effect but on your own clumsiness or love for Adrien. However, the recent ones are mostly, if not entirely, because of this side effect."

"The Bleeding Effect?" Marinette asked, Tikki wasn't making any sense to her at the moment. "What is that?"

"It is when the magical nature of a miraculous bleeds into its owner thus imparting a small amount of its nature into you." Tikki said slowly so that Marinette would understand what her kwami was talking about. Marinette appreciated Tikki doing this because what her kwami was saying was making very little sense to her. "An example to help explain this effect would be Master Fu's age. He's in his 180s and still going strong, though he can no longer physically transform, and that is because he wears the Turtle Miraculous. The primary Bleeding Effect of his miraculous is that it imparts the longevity of the creature it is modeled after. It also hardens his skin and makes him more resilient to damage the same way a turtle's shell does."

"Doesn't Master Fu claim to be so old because of his lifestyle?" Marinette asked. She understood the basics of what Tikki was going on about but it was still hard to believe it.

"He does but that would only play a part in his advanced age." Tikki said simply. "The rest is his constant wearing, and former use of, the Turtle Miraculous."

"Ok I am kind of getting it." Marinette said slowly as she digested what Tikki had said. "And what does this have to do with me?"

"The primary Bleeding Effect of the Ladybug Miraculous is that it effects your emotions." Tikki said automatically. "This is because, while there are some ladybug-based side effects like being more averse to cold or needing more tasty sugar, for the most part the Ladybug Miraculous effects your emotional state. It also effects the emotional state of those around you."

"How?" Marinette asked. She was both curious and a little worried at what Tikki was getting on about.

"For the Ladybug Miraculous holder, the Bleeding Effect causes you to experience a greater depth and range of emotions, as well as making you much more empathetic." Tikki said. "As a result, you exude a magical pheromone that causes people to have heightened emotions of their own. By contrast, the Black Cat Miraculous causes those around the holder to feel muted emotions while the Bleeding Effect mainly affects him internally with the heightened senses, and mannerisms, of a cat. Trust me, never let Cat Noir near catnip, it is not a pleasant sight. Anyway, all of this is part of the balancing of the two original and most powerful miraculouses. It is why they both have to be in circulation at the same time to be effective, and why both have to be issued to a man and a woman. They are the embodiment of balance and as such the holders must balance each other out."

"So you're telling me that my emotional state affects those around me?" Marinette asked, worry coming back into her voice. "All because of my miraculous."

"Yes, haven't you noticed that when you are happy you bring out the best in the people around you." Tikki said with a little nod. "And because you are human, when you are feeling negative emotions you have a negative effect on the people around you. So, when you are frustrated you tend to vent it on people and they are more sensitive to it, which in turn will cause a greater negative, emotional, reaction and thus make them more susceptible to Hawk Moth's akumas. Also, because of the Bleeding Effect, sometimes your actions can cause a greater emotional reaction from someone than otherwise warranted, as was the case with both Anansi and Kagami."

"Yeah I was confused as to how both of those got akumatized just because I tried to help Nino and may or may not have made a mistake with Kagami's match against Adrien." Marinette said as she realized that Tikki's explanation was starting to make sense. "But this would explain it."

"The Bleeding Effect explains a lot." Tikki agreed. "And speaking of Adrien, the Bleeding Effect also applies to your love for Adrien."

"I just thought that was normal when you are so madly in love with someone." Marinette said as she looked lovingly at a photo of Adrien on her desk. "You get a little irrational at times like with Max or jealous when some lying bitch is trying to trick your love into dating her."

"True, you do, especially when Aphrodite is involved." Tikki said with a note of annoyance in her voice when she referenced a mythical goddess. "But with Max and Lila you let it cloud your judgement because of the Bleeding Effect and your actions caused both of them to be akumatized. Though that wasn't fully the Bleeding Effect's fault as you were only just starting to feel it when you caused them to get akumatized, mainly it was your love for Adrien and how love can make people irrational."

"Well Lila deserved it." Marinette grumbled. "Lying bitch that she is. Adrien deserves much better than her, even if that person may not be me in the end."

"Yes, well, partially because of the Bleeding Effect causing Lila to be more emotional at the time, and partially because of the very direct nature in the way you caused her to get akumatized, you made her into one of the the most powerful akumas." Tikki said with a sigh.

"I'm not sorry about Lila, but I am about the others." Marinette said sadly. "If it wasn't for me then they wouldn't be akumatized."

"No, they were akumatized because Hawk Moth is abusing the Moth Miraculous." Tikki said sternly. "If the wielder of the Moth Miraculous was good, then the Bleeding Effect that affects you would be advantageous in creating hero allies but because it is in the hands of an evil man, the creations are villains. In the past, Nooroo and I have worked well together to create many a hero, this has never happened before as it so rare for a miraculous to fall into the hands of a villain."

"Still, it is my fault that some people have been akumatized." Marinette said as her sadness returned, despite Tikki's attempts to cheer her up.

"Marinette, listen to me." Tikki said in a serious tone that Marinette had never heard before. "If the Moth Miraculous wasn't active and you were either facing another Miraculous Holder or a different threat, normally some war or revolution based on the times that I have been activated, the Bleeding Effect would have no noticeable consequences other than to make people either like or loathe you more than usual. Well, no super villain ones at least. You would still bring out the best or worst in people depending on your emotions while the Black Cat holder balanced it out to a point. Lila and Chloe would still not like you to the degree that they do because of the Bleeding Effect just as Alya, Nino and Adrien would still be a loyal and true friends to you. Trust me Marinette, this is normal and you are Ladybug, you can do anything."

"It's still a lot to take in." Marinette said but she gave Tikki a small smile. "But this has helped a little."

"Just think of all the positive things that you have done as Ladybug." Tikki said with a broad smile. "Remember, you were chosen because you are the best person to wield the Ladybug Miraculous. This is a lot to take in and your emotions are always going to be deeper than average, just think of things that makes you happy and it will be good."

"I will, thank you Tikki." Marinette said to her helpful little kwami. "I'm feeling a little better now that I understand the situation more, you can go back to whatever you were doing before all this, I have a little work to get done before my patrol tonight."

Tikki just nodded, smiled at her, and went back to doing her own thing, which turned out to be learning the latest dance moves from Clara Nightingale's most recent music video. Marinette smiled at her kwami, closed the Ladyblog on her phone, put her phone down, and returned to her homework.

Marinette tried to do her work but her heart wasn't in it. She just couldn't focus on the task at hand. Tikki's explanation of the Bleeding Effect had at least clarified why Marinette had been responsible for so many recent akumas, but it had only slightly mollified her. Despite the excuse, Marinette still felt bad that she had caused so many people to be akumatized and as such, regardless of the valid excuse, Marinette couldn't help but feel guilty for what she had put 15 people, many of them her own friends, through just because of her emotions and how her miraculous affected them. It was going to take a while to get over this, hopefully the Bleeding Effect wouldn't have any more adverse effects than it already had.

* * *

Marinette had tried to focus on her work but after a few hours of trying she had barely made a dent in her homework. Instead, she had been thinking about the Bleeding Effect and how she had been responsible for the akumatization of so many of her classmates, friends, family, and Lila. Regardless of the reason, Marinette still couldn't bring herself to regret what she did that led to Lila's akumatization.

Unfortunately, Marinette couldn't stew in her emotions alone as she wanted. It was almost 9 in the evening and her phone's alarm went off to let her know that it was time for a patrol with Cat Noir. Groaning, Marinette stopped her work, got up and stretched, it was almost time for another patrol.

After the recent spate of akumas, and in particular after Sandboy showed that Hawk Moth was willing to akumatize someone who had a nightmare, she and Cat Noir had been stepping up their patrols and doing them at later hours. Sandboy was one of the few akumas that no one had been responsible for, and one that no one could have predicted, but now that Marinette knew that she had been responsible for a large portion of the recent akumas, she felt even worse than she had earlier.

"Come on Tikki, it is time for our patrol." Marinette said calling her kwami over from Tikki's nightly snack of fresh, very sugary, cookies.

"Marinette, you know that you can cancel this patrol if you aren't feeling up to it." Tikki pointed out. "You are probably still very raw, emotionally speaking, after earlier. It might affect you more than usual. There is no shame in calling off tonight's patrol."

"While I appreciate your concern, I'm fine Tikki." Marinette said with a forced smile at her kwami. "Trust me, nothing bad will happen. Besides, I have to do this, especially after what I learned earlier. I owe Paris an even greater debt and I will repay it. I will be fine, don't worry Tikki."

"Ok, I trust you Marinette but be careful." Tikki said with concern in her little voice. "Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't." Marinette said with a smile. "Tikki, spots on!"

In seconds Marinette was transformed into Ladybug. It was nice and comforting to be back in her magical costume. The power coursing through her was familiar and reassuring. It reassured her that no matter how big her fuck ups were, no matter how many akumas she would eventually create before they finally took down Hawk Moth, Marinette was still Ladybug, one of the heroes of Paris. She protected Paris from those akumas and she always defeated them, saved Paris, and made amends for her many, many, mistakes. She could do this, she could keep her emotions under control.

Marinette pushed her trapdoor open, made sure that the coast was clear, and swung away into the night. She and Cat Noir had agreed to meet atop one of the many rooftops that they used to start their patrols. It was one that was far enough from her home and the school that there was no way that Cat Noir could connect her to either. While what they did would be classified as trespass, they were the heroes of Paris so the authorities and the people often didn't mind that she and Cat Noir used private property for their patrols.

The swinging through Paris helped calm Marinette's troubled mind. She loved the freedom of using her yo-yo and the power and enhancements her suit gave her, it was freeing in a sense. All her worries from earlier disappeared as she enjoyed her travel to the roof top rendezvous with her crime fighting partner and the power that her miraculous imparted to her whenever she was transformed.

Of course, Cat Noir was already there when she arrived, he always beat her to their meetups. As soon as Marinette landed and saw her fellow superhero, all the worries and guilt from earlier came back in an instant.

"M'lady, always a pleasure to see you and may I say that you are looking as gorgeous as ever." Cat Noir said with a dazzling smile as she approach but the smile faltered as she approached, clearly, she was not as controlled in her facial expressions as she thought she was.

"What's the matter bugaboo?" Cat Noir asked as Marinette reached him.

"Nothing and don't call me bugaboo." Marinette snapped but she knew that her response had given away that something was clearly wrong with her. All Cat Noir did was raise and eyebrow at her. "Fine, if you must know, I am not in a great mode at the moment."

"Do you want to talk about it." Cat Noir said seriously but with a kind, sympathetic, tone. "Remember you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Well other than our secret identities." Marinette pointed out with a small, only slightly strained, smile.

"Other than that, of course." Cat Noir replied with a smile of his own. "So, what is the matter? You can trust me, you know that."

"I know." Marinette said then gave a sad sigh. Maybe it would do her some good to vent to Cat Noir, hopefully he could help her and balance her out. "Very well, I am not feeling great today because I realized something earlier and after talking it over with my kwami I was able to confirm it. I have been responsible for 15 of the 50 or so akumas that we have faced, that is more than Chloe has caused, especially the recent string of akumas that we have had to deal with."

"You have?" Cat Noir asked confused. "I didn't think that you were responsible for that many. I know that together we are responsible for Prime Queen, Dark Owl, and Queen Wasp at least, while I admit that I am responsible for Copycat. However, I can't imagine you being responsible for any on your own."

"Well I am." Marinette said sadly as her feelings began to bubble up to the surface, she knew the dam was about to break and she didn't care. "Many have been in my civilian form but there have been a few that I have caused as Ladybug. I learned today it is because of something called the Bleeding Effect where traits of the miraculous bleed into me and cause me, and those around me, to be more emotional than we should be. It was a lot to take given that I am responsible for so many of the akumas that have tried to take our miraculouses over the last 2 years or so."

"Does the Bleeding Effect affect me as well?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette quirked a smile at that.

"Yes, yes it does."

"Oh." Cat Noir said with a wide-eyed look. "That explains why my sense of smell and sight is above average when I am in civilian form, good to know. Anyway, even if you are responsible for so several akumas, you are still Ladybug, you still stop them from achieving Hawk Moth's goal and save Paris in the process."

"But I shouldn't be causing all this to begin with." Marinette said and she felt the damn that she had built up around her emotions begin to burst. She was going to vent to the person she trusted the most and get it all out of her system, nothing could come of this after all, he didn't know her civilian identity. "I am responsible for so many of my friends and classmates getting akumatized."

"How so?" Cat Noir asked.

"Well..." Marinette began.

* * *

"I let my emotions get the better of me, a lot." Ladybug said in a rush as she began to tell Adrien what was bothering her. "And it never ends well. As you know, my frustration, and at times yours, helped akumatized Chloe into Queen Wasp, Principle Damocles into Dark Owl and Nadja Chamack into Prime Queen. Antibug was all me, I accept and take the blame for that akuma."

"Yes, but what about the others?" Adrien asked. As always, he was concerned for his lady but this time he couldn't figure out what was bothering her, she couldn't be responsible for that many akumas, could she? Ladybug was too good a person to cause as many as she claimed. "I am sure that you couldn't possibly be responsible for that many akumas."

"I am because, well, you know how I am in love with someone who I know in my civilian life." Ladybug said with a little hesitation to which Adrien just nodded, it was too painful to say anything on the topic given his own feelings for her but he would put up with her mentioning his rival if it meant that he could help her.

"Well that love has caused me to do many things without thinking through the potential consequences to my actions." Ladybug continued after Adrien nodded to let her know that he was ok hearing about this mysterious boy that had stolen his lady's heart. "A while back he was selected to represent our school in the Mecha Strike III tournament alongside another student in our class. Because being on the team meant spending some alone time with him that I wouldn't otherwise get, I entered and showed my skills. I am very good at that game and as a result I unseated the other kid and he had been practicing for months for this, it had been his goal to compete for the school and I had selfishly taken that from him. As a result, he became so upset that he was akumatized, all because I wanted to spend time with a boy I am in love with but cannot tell him out of fear of rejection."

"Gamer, right?" Adrien asked to confirm his suspicion as to which akuma Ladybug was referring to. The way Ladybug had just phrased that incident was very suspicious to Adrien, mainly because he knew that Marinette had been responsible for Max's getting akumatized.

"Yup." Ladybug said with a nod and then continued her tirade before Adrien could say anything on that very precise piece of information. "Then there was Lila. That liar was hitting on the boy I love and well I knew that the bitch was full of shit so I called her on it, right in front of him, as Ladybug. I wanted to humiliate her and get her away from my love and while it worked, Lila was akumatized into Volpina. I don't regret that one, though I do regret looking so mean in front of him. Then there is my lack of patience and my frustration. Those got my grandmother akumatized and as such we had to face Befana, all because of me. It also caused Andre to be akumatized into Glaciator, a mix of frustration and unrequited love. There are many more and all but Timebreaker, who was caused by my own clumsiness and lack of responsibility, are because of my emotions and how they affect everyone around me."

"I doubt that." Adrien said sympathetically as Ladybug was getting more and more hysterical with every word. "It's not your fault that so many of our classmates have been akumatized, Chloe has created her fair share of akumas."

The information was too spot on, there were too many coincidences to be anything else. Adrien's friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, was Ladybug. Adrien knew that because of the Gamer reference, the Lila incident and the fact that Marinette's grandmother had been akumatized into Befana. It was obviously her, there was no doubt in Adrien's mind that he knew his love's secret identity.

There was another thing to all this. Though Marinette had not said his name, she had admitted that she was in love with him based on the context. That meant that his lady loved him back, all he had to do was tell her who he was. It also meant that he had been in competition, and jealous of, himself but Adrien could deal with that confusion later, he had more important things to deal with at the moment. However, Adrien's attempt to hint that he knew they were in the same class had fallen on deaf ears as Marinette continued to rant, verging on tears now.

"But they are my fault Cat Noir, and there are many more that I am responsible for." Marinette wailed. "My desire to get Alya out from under her overprotective older sister and come out with me and Nino created Anansi. My attempt to get Nathaniel and Marc to collaborate on a comic book created Reverser. My potential mistake and the way people's emotions are heightened around me created Riposte. My own near akumatization caused Ms. Bustier to become afraid of the akuma after she had calmed me down so she become Zombizou when that akuma had been meant for me. My curiosity regarding a strange grimoire that Adrien had caused him to lose it when I took it and his father got akumatized into The Collector as a result. My humiliation at my walls of photos of Adrien being broadcast on live TV played a part in creating Troublemaker. You see, I have been responsible for many of the akumas that have terrorized Paris, two more than Chloe by my count, one if you add Chloe to the blame for Zombizou. That makes me the biggest cause of akumas in Paris."

"My dad has caused his fair share too." Adrien said with one last attempt to reveal himself through hints and try to reassure Marinette that she wasn't as bad as she thought she was. "He got my best friend akumatized into The Bubbler when all Nino wanted to do was throw me a birthday party. He was responsible for Simon Says when that hypnotist failed to hypnotize him. His disrespect for Audrey Bourgeois caused her to become Style Queen. He was rude to that Santa Clause after he returned me home that his actions led to the creation of Santa Claws. So, you see he's had his own fair share of akumas. You're not always to blame for who gets akumatized. So you have caused a few akumas, you have always rectified your mistakes and besides, you have only created 30% or so of the akumas we have faced. That is nowhere near a majority."

"But I am to blame for so much." Marinette said as the tears began to form in her eyes. "I am responsible for 15. Whoever your father is, he is only responsible for four. I am the worst in Paris."

"Marinette it is not all your own fault." Adrien said with a little force. It seemed that he would have to reveal that he knew who she was. "You said it yourself, this Bleeding Effect thing is what is responsible, not you. Besides, who the fuck cares? You always save the day in the end. We are still here and Hawk Moth still hasn't managed to get our miraculouses."

"Yes, but I am not supposed to be the one who creates that many in the first place, I'm supposed to be a hero, not the person who creates so many villains." Marinette said as the tears began to fall. "A few I can accept, but 15 is too many, we are supposed to stop akumas not create … wait what did you just call me?"

"I called you Marinette." Adrien said with a smile, it seemed he had finally gotten through to her, she had even stopped crying to stare dumbfounded and open mouthed at him so Adrien continued. "Your rant gave you away because I am in your class, I am part of several of those situations, situations that only I and Marinette would know about. You aren't thinking straight; your emotions are running wild so I am trying to calm you down. At the same time, I am trying to reveal to you who I am because I know who you are and it will put you at ease on more than one issue that you are worried about."

"What, no don't tell me who you are." Marinette said as fear crept into her eyes. "My emotions may have caused me to reveal myself but don't tell me who you are, don't take that risk Cat Noir."

"To late, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile. "Trust me, you will be happy when you see who I am, it will be ok. Plagg, claws in."

"NO!" Marinette yelled but she didn't have the time to cover her eyes before Adrien was standing in front of her, a very bored looking Plagg floating over his shoulder, taking in the situation with an experienced eye.

"Ah, the Bleeding Effect has caught hold of her at last." Plagg said as if it was nothing. "I will have to have words with Tikki about this, she never explains it well to her holder. This has to be like the 6th time this has happened."

"You're not helping Plagg." Adrien whispered to his kwami. "Just go eat your cheese."

"Will do!" Plagg said enthusiastically as he flew into Adrien's jacket to get his stinky food.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette asked. "You, you're Cat Noir?"

"Yes bugaboo, I am." Adrien said with a smile as he took a few steps closer to his lady. "And I love you Marinette, just as much as you love me."

"Oh." Marinette said softly. "Tikki, spots off."

With that Marinette let her transformation fall and then she fell into Adrien. Instinctively he held her close, it was clear that Marinette had succumbed to her emotions and collapsed.

"I, I love you too." Marinette said into Adrien's chest as she began to cry.

"I know." Adrien said softly as he stroked her hair softly as he held her close to him. "I know, and I will always be here for you, no matter what."

Marinette didn't say anything as she just sobbed heavily into his chest. Adrien could tell that it had been an emotional day for Marinette and that she had to let it all out, which is what he was going to do right now. Adrien may not be great with emotions but he knew that right now all Marinette needed was to be held by him while he poured all of his love into her on that rooftop.

There was a lot that they would have to talk about in the days and weeks to come but for now he was just content to hold his lady close to him. The time for talk tonight was over, right now all Adrien wanted to do was hold the girl he loved close to him and do whatever he could to make Marinette happy again. Adrien knew that their love would overcome this, for the moment though, they just held each other under the stars of Paris. They were finally with the person that they loved and for now that was all that mattered.

 **Again sorry that this is so late, there will be at least 2 bonus oneshots over the next few weeks to make up for this. I hope y'all enjoyed the return of the Bleeding Effect, it seemed to work well in 'Scent' so I felt that it would be useful to use again. Next week's oneshot should be on time (I hope) and will be a Simple Class oneshot at best so a little easier to write then the longer, Complex Class ones (there is at least one Epic Class oneshot coming up as well).** **That's all for this note.** **A** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming, without your suggestions I could not keep this series going as I personally believe that I am terrible at coming up with prompts but I am my own harshest critic. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	36. Bags

**Here is the 36th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This oneshot was suggested many weeks ago by Angelwings2002 and this time I have managed to get it out within my weekend margin of error, unlike my unannounced week off the other week. It is looking like I will have a bit more time in the coming week to get more work on this series done so expect a bonus oneshot sometime this week in addition to the standard oneshot that will be released next weekend, as well as my attempts to get ahead in the writing of this series in the coming days so that more can be released after my impending, brief, hiatus due to real life factors. The only major story note I will make here is that until the US release on Netflix of the second half of Season 2, all oneshots will take place after the events of 'Frozer' but before the 'Heroes Day' two episode season finale so as to not spoil those two episodes. Once those episodes are released on Netflix, this story will shift to a post 'Heroes Day' timeline unless the prompt specifically requires a different time. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Bags.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Bags** **\- Ms. Bustier has organized a class trip to a nearby forest so that the kids can spend a weekend camping and learning about the nature indigenous to France. The trip is mandatory and required in order to pass the class so Adrien's father has to let him go. However, because no one in the Agreste household knows what to do when it comes down to camping, Nathalie gets Adrien the gear recommended by the school. For a school of Parisians, many haven't camped before and someone else has the exact same bag as Adrien. Surely there won't be a mix-up or any problems, right?  
**

* * *

 **Bags**

Adrien was running as fast as he could to the meeting point for the class trip. He had been held up at home because he had been forced to listen to his father's lecture, a few demonstrations, and get his stuff from Nathalie regarding said trip. This had made Adrien late but he didn't mind, he was just happy that he actually got to go on on the trip.

As part of the class curriculum, Ms. Bustier had decided that the entire class was going to spend a weekend away from Paris and camp out for a few days in one the nearby national forests. The logic behind this was to show the kids nature first hand and teach them about what was indigenous to their nation, as well as a practical lesson on the environment. In order to get the whole class to participate, Ms. Bustier had made the trip mandatory and a requirement to pass the class.

It was that last part that had finally gotten his father to allow Adrien to go on the trip. Normally his father wouldn't let him travel too far from home where Gabriel could keep an eye on him, and even now his bodyguard was going to tail the bus and be on hand in the area just in case, but this time, Gabriel Agreste had relented. Part of it was the fact that it was required, but another part was that his father thought that it would be safer for Adrien to be away for a weekend, what with the sudden spike in akuma attacks and all that.

All Adrien had cared about was that he was going to be allowed to go and spend a weekend camping with his friends like a normal teen, well a normal teen who went camping that is. Of course, Adrien had none of the equipment needed to go camping, so he had had to wait for Nathalie to go out and get him a standard issue survival backpack, tent, roll mat to sleep on, mess tins, portable stove, Swiss army knife, cutlery, and all the other essentials, some of which the school had told them to get, the others just out of precaution.

His father had suggested getting the deluxe model with all the best gear but Adrien had insisted on the standard equipment. He was there with friends, not showing off to them, and this was likely going to be a onetime thing, so why waste money on things that Adrien might not use again. Besides, showing off was Chloe's job and Adrien didn't expect his first friend to disappoint them.

After the bag, and other necessary gear, had been acquired, Adrien had packed it with all that he would need for the weekend based of the itinerary sent to them by Ms. Bustier for what they would need on the trip. Adrien made sure he had everything and then added some extra cheese for Plagg. It was only enough cheese to keep the kwami satisfied for a day, at least that was how long Adrien expected it would take for Plagg to eat all the cheese, after that Plagg would have to eat the same camping food Adrien was eating.

Plagg hadn't been happy about that but accepted that if his precious Camembert was out of a cool, dry, place for a whole weekend then it would go off and he couldn't eat it. Also, it would be in smelling distances of animals that might come and try to take it from Plagg. Apparently Plagg had a special issue with, of all animals, raccoons, an animal indigenous to North America but due to species introduction were now a pest in Germany with a population spilling over into France. Plagg considered all raccoons nothing more than filthy, cheating, no good, food stealing, tricksters that were out to get Plagg due to a 250 year old grudge, or something like that. Adrien decided not to find out why his kwami didn't like raccoons, or when he had met them for that matter, he just chalked it up to one of Plagg's oddities from a past holder.

Despite this, Plagg had insisted that he ride in the bag instead of Adrien's jacket for the duration of the trip. He would still be nearby if an akuma attacked them on the way and this way Plagg could "guard" the supplies as he called it. Adrien knew that the truth was that Plagg was going to eat all the cheese on the way so that it didn't go bad and be in a cheese coma for the rest of the day. Adrien didn't mind though as it meant he wouldn't be smelling the stinky cheese for long.

Plagg had also claimed that he had camped out in the proper wilderness before so he could survive without his cheese. He wouldn't tell Adrien any details of who he had been camping with, only that Plagg suggested that they never, ever, try to eat porcupine or possum. Again, Adrien had decided to not press his kwami for answers to questions he was pretty sure he didn't want to know.

All of this planning, and dealing with Plagg's distrust of raccoons and strange survivalist stories regarding beavers, elk, and a very angry black bear, had ensure that Adrien was running behind schedule so his driver only just managed to get him to the bus stop where the school bus was in time. Adrien had insisted on being allowed to travel with the school, his nanny could follow behind him on the way to the camp ground. Still, he was now running to get to the bus and not be too late for the trip.

"Adrien, just on time." Ms. Bustier said in her usual kind tone as he arrived out of breath. Only her and Principle Damocles, who was coming as the school required a male and female teacher in attendance at all times when dealing with a co-ed group, were left outside the bus. "You are the last one to arrive."

"Sorry Ms. Bustier, I was just double checking I had everything I needed for the weekend." Adrien gasped out as he just threw his bag into the bus's storage area, not taking note of the other bags there, and hurrying to get on the bus.

"Always a good idea my boy." Principle Damocles said with a nod as Adrien rushed to get on the bus. "Better to be safe than to be sorry."

Adrien didn't say anything as he got on the bus and noticed that Nino had saved him a seat. It was right behind Marinette and Alya so that meant that they could talk the whole bus ride to the camp sight they were staying at. It was going to take about 2 hours to get there and that was if the traffic was good.

Sitting down, Adrien fist bumped Nino and took a deep breath as he tried to regain it. When he was Cat Noir, Adrien had near unlimited stamina but as himself it wasn't as good. Fortunately, Adrien had made it just in time, albeit out of breath, and he was excited for the weekend.

"Well we are now all here and can get going." Ms. Bustier said as the bus began to pull out of the parking lot. "I will save the instructions and rules for the weekend until we get there. For now just relax, we will be there in about 2 hours."

"I still can't believe I have to go and live in the wilderness for two nights, it is utterly ridiculous!" Chloe moaned from the back of the bus. She may have been Adrien's only friend growing up but Adrien still got frustrated at how spoilt Chloe was at times, and how she acted like a brat almost all of the time.

"Mademoiselle has the very best and the latest in glamping equipment." A tired, male, voice said and Adrien realized that Chloe had brought her personal butler along for the trip, a new low even for her as Sabrina usually filled that role when Chloe wasn't in the hotel. "It is all packed and I will set it up for you and Mademoiselle Raincomprix when we get there."

"Thank you, Jean-Jean." Chloe said dismissively. "That will make it just about bearable."

Adrien decided to tone Chloe out and turned to Nino to ask him about his latest gig. Adrien was looking forward to a relaxing bus ride and fun weekend with his friends away from Paris and his responsibilities as Cat Noir. There was nothing bad that could possible happen to them this weekend.

* * *

"Alright, we are almost at the campsite, so here are the rules for the weekend." Ms. Bustier said as the bus pulled into the National Park's parking lot 2 hours later and Principle Damocles had exited the bus. "We will walk from here to the camp ground we are staying at. It is about a kilometer into the forest, hence why you were asked to bring comfortable hiking boots or shoes for the weekend."

"I can't believe you expect us to actually walk in this wilderness." Chloe moaned loudly from the back of the bus. "It's ridiculous!"

"Well Chloe it is mandatory and part of the weekend." Ms. Bustier said kindly, which got a resigned huff out of the blond girl. "We are all doing it so you can put up with it for the weekend. Anyway, the campsite has a common area in the center where we will be making what the Americans call s'mores tonight, though not with the precise materials as the crackers are French, not American."

"Where are we setting up out tents?" Alya asked.

"On either side of the common area are smaller camping areas." Ms. Bustier replied. "One will be for boys, the other for the girls and no sneaking around at night. You all know your tent buddies already, make sure you stick to that at night. This is the one rule that I am inflexible on."

"Tent dudes." Nino said as he and Adrien fist bumped. Adrien just smiled, he was ready for the normal weekend to come.

"There is also a set of small toilets and showers to the north of the campsite." Ms. Bustier continued, ignoring the murmuring of the students. "Again, they are clearly signed for men and women. Lastly, the additional guests will be staying a little ways off at a secondary campsite that has been sorted out, and paid for, by Mr. Agreste."

"Only after Jean-Louis has set up my tent and everything else I need to survive out here." Chloe said with a slight huff.

"That's fine Chloe." Ms. Bustier said as Principle Damocles got back onto the bus.

"All the bags are out waiting for you, except Ms. Bourgeois's bag as I couldn't figure out." The Principle said when he got back onto the bus. "" It's time to go camping and see the owls in a few hours. Hoo-Hoo."

"Don't worry, Jean-Isaac knows what he's doing." Chloe replied confidently.

"That I do Mademoiselle." The haggard butler replied with a sigh.

Not for the first time did Adrien feel sorry for Chloe's butler but the man was probably paid well and seemed to actually care for Chloe, and keep her in line more than most could, so Adrien didn't press the issue of his treatment. Instead, Adrien just got up from his seat and followed his friends out of the bus. It was time to get his bag and head to set up camp for the first time in his life.

Due to the fact that most of the class had never gone camping, or had families who had enjoyed it in the past, a lot of them had similar, generic, bags that the school had recommended they get for the trip. Adrien saw his bag and grabbed it before joining his friends as they made their way from the parking lot and towards the path that led into the forest. Because they were in a line, Adrien did not notice that Marinette had an identical bag to his.

It took them about half an hour to get to the camp ground they were staying at, mainly because Chloe was complaining loudly the entire way as her butler, Sabrina, and unfortunately Adrien's bodyguard, had to carry all of her needless stuff. It appeared that Chloe had brought only the finest in glamping material so that she was going to be comfortable all night, complete with all the amenities of home. Adrien could have done the same, but he wanted to share this with his friends and was happy to be using the generic stuff. Adrien didn't need all that fancy stuff for a weekend in the woods with his friends.

As soon as they got to the campsite, Ms. Bustier ordered them to go to their assigned areas based on gender and set up so that they were ready before returning to the central area for a lesson in how to make their own dinner using the equipment they had brought. Adrien and Nino bade farewell to their friends and headed over to find a secluded spot on the boys side to set up their tent. Adrien had the tent while Nino had the food and cooking equipment, despite Adrien having a spare gas camping stove at the insistence of his father.

"Right dude, I am going to go to the bathroom." Nino said as soon as they got their bags off and on the ground where they wanted to set up camp. "I really need it after that bus ride."

"Alright, take your time." Adrien said as he unhooked the tent from its place on the outside of the bag and began to unpack it, Nathalie had instructed him on how to set it up before he had left for the trip. "I'll set up camp but you are making all the food."

"Thanks dude, will do." Nino said with a wink and ran off as fast as he could in the direction of the bathroom.

Adrien just chuckled as he best friend sprinted to the small building that housed the toilets and showers to the north of the camp ground they were staying at. While Adrien did not doubt that Nino actually needed the bathroom, he was pretty sure that his best friend was using the set-up time, and the distraction that Chloe's massive tent would provide, to spend some quality time with Alya away from everyone else.

That was why Adrien had volunteered to be the set-up guy for them while Nino did the cooking. This way Adrien didn't have to risk cooking while Nino got some time with his girlfriend and he could relax, make sure Plagg hadn't caused any problems in his bag, and set up their tent in peace. Adrien suspected that Marinette was enjoying the same thing on the girl's side while Alya was with Nino, minus the looking after a mischief kwami part of course.

It took Adrien 10 minutes to remember how all the poles worked, where they went, and how to properly erect the tent. Once that was done, Adrien pegged the tent down in all the right places with the provided tent pegs, pulled away the rain flap, opened up the front of the tent, put his and Nino's bags in, then crawled in to set up, making sure that the flap out front was down so as to give himself, and Plagg, some privacy.

First Adrien detached his roll mat and extended it on his side of the tent. Then he unrolled his new sleeping bag on top of it. Then Adrien hung a small lantern that Nino had brought from a strap in the tent and turned it on so that there was some more light. Only then did Adrien finally open the top of his bag to make sure Plagg hadn't managed to destroy, or at least cause a mess, of everything inside. That was when Adrien got the shock of his life.

The bag wasn't his! It had looked like his, right down to the make and model, and the sleeping bag and roll mat that had come with the bag as part of the package deal for it looked like his, but none of it was his. It turned out that someone else in his class had the exact same make, model, and style of camping bag as he did, likely because that person had gotten it from the same place as she didn't go camping prior to this trip.

Adrien knew that it was one of the girl's bags because of the pink clothes, including a visible bra, and the girly fashion magazine he noticed at the top of the bag. That alone wasn't good but the whole thing was made worse by what Adrien saw atop the clothes and next to an open, and very familiar, pink purse.

Adrien was looking down at a bright pink kwami with three black dots and a set of antennae hanging down from the back of its head. The kwami had been happily eating a matching pink, and carefully made so that it was small enough for a kwami, macaroon. In fact, the kwami had it in her paws, halfway to her open mouth after having already taken a bite out of it when Adrien had opened the bag and noticed it. Now it was staring up at Adrien, it's eyes wide in shock and fear, completely immobile.

Adrien had no doubt as to who's kwami this was. The color and dots confirmed that even if Adrien knew that there were only 3 other kwamis that were active at all times and all three were either accounted for or couldn't be this one in Hawk Moth's case. No, this was Ladybug's kwami. If Adrien's memory served right from the one time he had heard his lady's deactivation and then activation phrase in that shipping container, the kwami's name was Tikki.

That left the next question; who's bag was it? That answer came to Adrien a split second after he realized that the kwami he was staring at was not his but Ladybug's. The fashion magazine was a good start, but what let Adrien know who's bag it was and thus who Ladybug was, was the pink purse and the macaroon that the kwami was munching on.

Only someone of exceptional baking skill could make a macaroon that perfectly tailored for a kwami to eat and there was only one person in their class with that very specific skill, and she just so happened to also have a pink purse exactly like the one next to the kwami. Marinette. There was now no doubt in Adrien's mind that his lady, his love, was his classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

The kwami then dropped its half-eaten macaroon and the moment was broken. Quickly it flew up and out of the bag, its eyes darting everywhere and a paw raised to its lips. Adrien got the message and quickly put a finger to his own lips and made a hiding notion, which the kwami nodded at, before he unzipped the tent and lifted up the slanted rain flap thing out front that added some privacy to them and looked around.

Thankfully no one was near them. Most of the guys were nearer the central area after they had finished setting up their tents and had headed over to the communal area to watch as Chloe directed her butler and Sabrina to set up what looked like a multi room, very extravagant, tent. Adrien pegged the flap back down again, returned into his tent, and then zipped up both the mesh and the fabric flaps. Only then did the kwami come out of the bag again and float over to him.

"We are alone." Adrien whispered to it so that they wouldn't be overheard. "We can speak freely for a few moments before Nino returns."

"I presume that there is no way I can explain this away, is there?" The kwami asked in a soft, clearly feminine, voice. "Like would you believe that I smelt the baked goods in this bag and went to eat them and that the bags owner is not also my human."

"You know who I am and I know what you are." Adrien said bluntly and the kwami nodded at him. "So no, I can't believe that given what I know about kwamis. You're Tikki right? Ladybug's kwami. This is her bag, isn't it?"

"I am and it is her bag." Tikki confirmed with another nod. "And I presume you could recognize who's bag this is."

"Well I thought it was mine." Adrien said with a sheepish smile. "It is the same type and has everything attached to it that my bag has. However yes, I know who's it is. I see that purse every day and frankly there is only one person who is skilled enough to make a perfect, kwami sized, macaroon like that."

"Yes, my human is really talented when it comes to baking and I love it because I have a really bad sweet tooth that she feeds better than any human I have been paired with." Tikki said confirming Adrien's suspicion without having to name her human. s"But yes, she got the same generic bag that the school recommended as she, nor her family, has every been camping. This does mean that she has yours, you know that right?"

"Ah, I didn't think of that, but, well, if she does then she will find him soon enough." Adrien said realizing that this was going to be a two-way problem and that Marinette was going to learn his secret, something he had always been willing to share with Ladybug but was waiting for Ladybug to be ready to share hers as well. "Probably in a very unattractive way, knowing my kwami."

"Knowing him, I wouldn't doubt it." Tikki said shaking her head in disapproval which Adrien smiled at in agreement. "But as dumb as he is at times, especially when it comes to food, drink, and gambling, he isn't stupid. He will know what has happened and that we will have to exchange bags privately. He has been the cause of so many reveals, many more than me, that he has developed a system of how to handle almost any scenario, and I mean any scenario."

"Agreed." Adrien said with a nod If there was one thing Plagg was good at, it was getting into, and subsequently out of, trouble. "We probably should exchange the bags, and you kwamis, sometime tonight after the campfire thing that they have planned."

"That is probably for the best." Tikki said with a nod of her own. "That will be when most people are asleep and you and my human can pretend to go to the bathroom and exchange there, that is the most private place around here. The rest of this stuff is generic so it can stay if you want but the bags, and their contents, need to be exchanged. Don't worry, this is probably the 4th or 5th time something like this has happened, though the last time I remember it happening was when we were assigned to two members of Spanish expedition to the New World so that the Spanish didn't abuse any natives they found there. Unfortunately, we ultimately mission failed that mission and we had to flee the New World, but while there, it was a mix up of satchels between the maidservant I was with and the young, progressive, noble that yours was with at the time that caused us to reveal our humans to one another."

"Er, ok, good to know." Adrien said, not really listening as he pricked up his ears. He could hear footsteps coming towards them from the direction of the bathroom and that could only mean one thing. "Quick, hide. I think Nino is coming back."

"Thank the Guardian of Magic for the Bleeding Effect." Tikki whispered as she flew into Marinette's bag and Adrien closed it, completely ignoring what the kwami had just said.

A few moments later, longer than Adrien had expected, Nino came into the tent as Adrien was rolling the roll mat and sleeping bag back into their original, storage, forms. His best friend had a silly grin on his face and Adrien didn't have to guess what that meant.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Nino asked as he realized that Adrien was reattaching the roll mat and sleeping bag to Marinette's bag.

"Turns out that Marinette and I bought and brought the same bag and it seems that I accidentally picked up hers and not mine when we got off the bus." Adrien said with genuine embarrassment.

"Damn that's annoying." Nino said as he began to set up his sleeping gear, unpack his stuff and grabbed their cooking materials for the demonstration. "Just exchange it with her later."

"I will but not until after the demonstration and campfire in a bit." Adrien said as he finished sorting out the bag. "Those are soon I think so I have to wait until there is time to return the stuff."

"Yeah, Chloe was directing the finishing touches on her glamping tent as I was returning from the bathroom." Nino said as he made sure that he had what they would need for the demonstration. "Come on, let's go and see the end of that and listen to Ms. Bustier's cooking instructions cos I have no idea what I am doing with these things."

Adrien just smiled at he best friend as they left the tent, zipped it back up, and walked towards the center of the camp ground. As Adrien walked, with Chloe's final orders ringing through the air around them, he couldn't stop thinking of Marinette being Ladybug, finding out that he was Cat Noir, and what that all meant for them going forward. Hopefully Marinette's meeting with Plagg had gone as smooth as his had with Tikki.

* * *

As soon as Marinette had gotten off the bus she had grabbed her bag, not noticing that there were two of the exact same bag, with the same set of accessories, and was joined Alya, Adrien, and Nino as they walked to the campsite. Though Marinette had never been camping, nor had her parents hence why she had a generic set of supplies that the school had recommended those without any camping equipment get, she was looking forward to spending the weekend in the woods.

Mainly, Marinette was looking forward to a weekend with Adrien. Chloe would be an irritation as always, and Marinette was sure that Kagami didn't like her and was also after Adrien's love, but neither would be a problem for her this weekend. Chloe wouldn't do anything that wasn't mandatory as they were outdoors and not in some fancy spa, and Kagami wasn't actually in their class so she wasn't here to compete with Marinette.

That meant that there was nothing stopping Marinette from asking Adrien to go on a private, hopefully romantic, walk along one of the nature trails with her. Well nothing other than Marinette's inability to form a simple sentence around Adrien, and not tell him that she was head over heels in love with him, that is.

As soon as they had gotten to the girls' part of the campsite, Marinette and Alya had made sure to select a spot to set up their tent on, that Marinette was carrying for them, as far away from Chloe's monstrosity as possible. Once there, Alya had excused herself to go to the bathroom but Marinette knew that it was just an excuse and that Alya was in fact going to go and make out with Nino behind the bathrooms for a while.

Marinette didn't mind though. This way she was on tent duty and not cooking duty, something that with Marinette's natural clumsiness could cause a lot of destruction anywhere she tried to use an open flame. Sure, Marinette could bake better than anyone in their class, she was the daughter of bakers so it was in her blood, but cooking was an art that she was not good at. This worked out best for both of them as Alya was steadier than Marinette was with everyday tasks, and a better cook because of her mother.

Of course, that didn't mean that it was all smooth sailing for Marinette as she tried, and failed, to set up their tent. She had managed to get herself tangled in the poles and ropes of the tent, twice, before figuring how they worked. Then she spent another 15 minutes trying to set up the tent, with multiple clumsy mistakes in the process.

Finally, after many mistakes, the tent was erected and pegged down. Marinette had managed this right as Chloe was getting into a really bossy moment with those setting up her palace like tent. That provided Marinette with the perfect excuse to duck into her tent, unroll the roll mat and read the fashion magazine she had brought with her. It was also the perfect time to cut out all the latest Adrien pictures that were in the magazine, and add them to the special photo book of Adrien photos that she had brought with her for so that she always had pictures of her love near her. Tikki would just eat the treats Marinette had baked her for the weekend and shake her little head in disapproval but Marinette didn't mind, Tikki knew that Marinette wasn't going to be persuaded otherwise.

As soon as Marinette had set up the roll mat, zipped the tent up for privacy, and had made sure that hers and Alya's bags were in the tent, she opened her bag. It took all of Marinette's willpower not to shriek at what she had found, though it didn't stop her from falling backwards and landing hard on the roll mat.

Getting up, and grumbling in mild but tolerable pain, Marinette looked into the bag again to confirm she had seen what she had thought she had seen. She had. Inside the bag, inside and empty box that used to contain an immoral amount of Camembert cheese, was Cat Noir's kwami, Plagg.

Marinette had worked with Plagg during the Style Queen battle because Cat Noir had apparently lost his miraculous and couldn't help her himself, and she had briefly seen him after the Sandboy incident, but to see him here was a shock to say the least. The Black Cat Kwami was dozing peacefully, his belly noticeably bulging and a wide smile on his face, in what Marinette was sure a container that had once contained more than twice the kwami's body weight in cheese. Marinette did not want to think about the fact that the sight meant that Plagg had eaten all the cheese himself, his breath proved that, and he had done so over the last 2 hours.

Marinette was confused though. She had thought that she had grabbed her bag but it turned out she had grabbed someone else's bag that just so happened to be the exact same make and model as the one her parents had bought her. That someone with the same bag as her also happened to be Cat Noir. Marinette knew that she should not check to see who's bag it was so as to protect Cat Noir's identity but she also had to return the bag to that person. She was in a real catch 22.

Marinette's dilemma was answered for her when she noticed what was under the cheese box with the still happily slumbering kwami in it. Under it was a bright blue, hand knitted scarf. Marinette knew that scarf because she had been the one who had knitted it well over a year ago. She also knew who she had knitted it for. She had knitted it for Adrien. That could only mean one thing. Adrien was Cat Noir.

That alone was a major reveal as she could not see Adrien as Cat Noir but the proof in front of her was irrefutable. It also meant that the boy who she was in love with was also her akuma fighting partner, a partner that she knew was in love with Ladybug. Of course, that didn't mean that Adrien loved her as Marinette, if he was to ever learned that she was Ladybug that is, but it was a start and Marinette was willing to go from there. At least she now knew that Adrien was in love with part of her and that was something that Marinette would latch onto with all her might.

"Plagg." Marinette whispered as she gently prodded his belly with one finger to try and wake sleeping kwami. "Wake up, there has been some sort of mix up and we need to talk right away."

"No, Aristaeus, this isn't your fancy gala's swimming pool sized fondue pot, it's my Jacuzzi and my dinner when I am done with it, thank you very much." Plagg muttered as Marinette prodded him again to try and wake him. She did not want to know what the kwami was dreaming about, even if it seemed that Plagg was enjoying his dream.

"Plagg, wake up." Marinette said a little more forcefully but no less quietly, not that they could be overheard over the racket Chloe was making as her tent was being set up nearby.

"Fine." Plagg muttered as he opened his eyes and blinked blearily at Marinette. "Marinette? What are you doing in my human's tent. Are you two finally together? Wait, where is my human? Merde. Not again. This is as bad as I think it is isn't it?"

"Yup." Marinette said with a nod at Plagg as he groggily floated up from the bag and looked at her through sleepy eyes. "I know that Adrien is Cat Noir, the scarf was the one I knitted for him after all, even if he doesn't know it came from me. I also know that this means that he love me, or at least he loves Ladybug which is part of who I am."

"Oh, yeah, that's true." Plagg said with a shrug. "Also means that if you have his bag, then he has yours. I doubt he hasn't opened it yet. He would want to check on me and make sure that I was behaving myself, which I always do by the way."

"Baiser." Marinette swore under her breath as she felt the color drain from her face at what Plagg had just said.

"Judging by your reaction, I am going to guess that you did not realize that little detail." Plagg said with s soft chuckle. "I'm also going to guess that this means that he has likely found Tikki and therefore knows who you are under your mask. This also means that he may have found the stash of photos of him that you no doubt carry with you at all times. Am I right or am I right."

"Both." Marinette admitted as she slowly, but not fully, recovered from her shock. "And then some as there might be some feminine things in there I would rather not explain to Adrien."

"Say no more." Plagg said with a nod. "I get it. Don't worry this has happened a few times before, Tikki and I have a scheme for this kind of accidental reveal. Well it's my scheme as I am responsible for most reveals for some unknown reason but Tikki knows it inside and out so don't worry about her."

"You do?" Marinette asked confused.

"Course we do." Plagg said with a nod. "Over our long, long, lives, we have been paired with over 100 humans. I think it's over 100 but I lost count centuries ago. Anyway, we always start out as not knowing who the other his paired with for safety reasons but inevitably we find out, it is in the nature of our miraculouses to do so. Sometimes it is deliberate on our holders' part, sometimes it is necessary for some reason, sometimes I end up causing the reveal and getting punished, other than two times Tikki did so, sometimes it's because the Bleeding Effect forces it when my holder starts to develop a heightened sense of smell, and sometimes it's by accident like this. This is the classic mixed up bags, accidental class, reveal. The 5th of its kind if I recall. Tikki and I have what is called Plan Tau for this kind of accidental reveal."

"Ok there is a lot I don't understand with this." Marinette said confused. "And I know that I will probably regret this but what is the Bleeding Effect and what the hell is Plan Tau?"

"The Bleeding Effect is, in summary, when the magic of the miraculous and our abilities bleed into you and give you a fraction of the enhancements we impart upon our holders while you are in civilian form." Plagg said not clarifying it to Marinette at all. "But that only happens after repetitive and prolonged use and not something that you need to worry about at the moment. My human on the other hand should be feeling the effects of it very soon, but I digress. As for Plan Tau, well that is in the title. It basically means that you exchange the bags behind the nearest, private, toilet. It is usually done under the cover of darkness to add extra privacy to the exchange. As with the last 4 times this has happened, it has while camping or on a mission that required luggage of some sort."

"Er, ok, that is confusing but I will trust you on this." Marinette said after she had time to process what Plagg had said. "So, I just take the bag to the toilet tonight and exchange it with Adrien."

"Precisely." Plagg said with a nod. "Don't worry, I have caused so many reveals that Tikki made me come up with a system to deal with any potential reveal. At the moment, we know how to handle almost any possible reveal; ranging from a standard time out at the wrong time all the way up to some vengeful God, Guardian or annoying trickster nature spirit who I am in massive debt to deciding to get their payment by forcing a reveal in the most awkward, humiliating, in their minds as I have no shame, and epic fashion imaginable. Those are always the best reveals in my opinion, even if they are all entirely my own fault."

"I have no words to what you just said." Marinette said shaking her head at Plagg. She knew that the Kwami of Destruction was, well, destructive but this was a whole different level that Marinette couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"Probably for the best." Plagg said with a shrug. "Few can put words to my many, many, great actions and deeds. Don't worry about the bags, Tikki and I have it under complete control."

"Ok good." Marinette said deciding that it was best to trust Plagg as the kwami seemed to know what he was doing. However, as soon as she had spoken, Plagg went stiff.

"Alya's on her way back." Plagg whispered fervently. "Wait until night falls, tell her why you are heading out, and exchange the bags."

With that Plagg flew into his bag and Marinette closed it behind him. A few seconds later, Alya unzipped and entered the tent, practically glowing after her alone time with Nino.

"Come on." Alya said as she began to unpack their cooking things, clearly unaware of what Marinette had been doing. "Chloe has finally put up her home away from home and Ms. Bustier is almost ready for the demonstration."

"Sounds good." Marinette said with a nod as Alya left the tent.

Marinette just followed her best friend out of the tent, closed it up and followed Alya to the center of their camp ground. Marinette knew that she should be paying attention to what her teacher would teach her but all that was going through her mind was what she had just learned, what it all meant going forward, and the fact that her and Adrien would be talking about all this in a few hours, alone. There was a lot on Marinette's mind but hopefully it would all turn out for the best in the end.

* * *

Night had fallen and everyone had been sent to bed by the teachers. Ms. Bustier had explained to them how to use their stoves and make the food that they had brought for the weekend. Then they all, in their pairs, tried to make their own dinner to mixed, but in Marinette's case pleasant, results. After that, they all had s'mores. S'mores were apparently an American camping treat involving crackers, milk chocolate, and fire roasted marshmallows. They were good but not as good as they should be as the crackers didn't work well with the chocolate. Though this was because they weren't the right brand of crackers, according to Ms. Bustier.

During dinner, Adrien had made eye contact with her and had given her a knowing nodded. That was all that she needed to confirm that he knew both the truth about her after seeing Tikki in her bag and that he knew of the plan to exchange the bags later. Of course, the exchange had naturally made Marinette blush and she had to look away to hide her embarrassment from her love. Naturally, in the process of looking away from Adrien, Marinette fell off her stool and ended up sprawled in the grass. Everyone laughed at her clumsiness and even Marinette had to chuckle at herself for falling off a stool by simply looking away from Adrien.

Finally, night had fallen and Ms. Bustier and Principle Damocles sent them all to bed as they would be up early for a nature hike with Ms. Bustier. They were only allowed to leave their tents if they needed the bathroom, or if they wanted to join the Principle on his late-night owl watching, no one took the Principle up on his offer. Admittedly, some would have considered it, but Principle Damocles had insisted on wearing his, The Owl, outfit and no one wanted anything to do with him when he was dressed like that.

As soon as Marinette was certain that everyone had gone to bed, she grabbed the bag that she had not unpacked and began to leave the tent. Naturally, Alya was not going to let her leave without explaining it to her.

"I accidentally took Adrien's bag and he took mine after the bus ride because we both brought the same bag camping." Marinette whispered to her best friend. "So, I am going to return it to him and get mine back."

"Ah ok, have fun girl." Alya said with a wink at Marinette that she shook off.

"I'll try." Marinette said as she left the tent.

"Tell me everything when you get back." Alya whispered after her as Marinette left the tent. "I expect all the juicy details."

Marinette just shook her head as she closed up the tent and headed to the bathroom to meet the boy she loved with all her heart. She had to be as quiet and as sneaky as possibly, which in Marinette's case meant falling over multiple times before she reached her final destination. Still, she got there without any other problems.

Adrien was already behind the small bathroom building, a small lantern in one hand providing a little light, and her bag, closed, in the other. Tikki hovered over his shoulder, clearly dispelling any chances that he hadn't seen her kwami. As soon as Marinette got there Plagg flew out of her bag to join the party and hover over her shoulder.

"Plan Tau again." Plagg said with a smile at Tikki as he Tikki swapped places.

"It is a proven method for dealing with this kind of mix-up and reveal." Tikki replied as she returned to Marinette and hugged her cheek affectionately.

"Is there any point in denying any of this Marinette." Adrien said with an adorable smile that always made Marinette blush. "Or should I call you bugaboo."

"Of course you can call me bugaboo, just not in public, kitty." Marinette chided as she managed to get her emotions under check. It helped that she knew that Adrien was Cat Noir and that she could talk normally to him, even if she couldn't talk normally to Adrien. "But yes, there is no point in denying this."

"We should probably talk more about all of this." Adrien said.

"Probably." Marinette agreed. "There is a lot that will come from what we found out today."

"Well, how about we take a walk tomorrow, along one of those private paths that Ms. Bustier told us about over dinner, you know, just us." Adrien said rubbing his neck and pointedly not making eye contact with her.

That was when Marinette realized that Adrien was blushing as he spoke, even if it was hard to make out in the lantern light. Marinette's heart nearly stopped at that. Was Adrien asking her out on a date? True it was to discuss what they knew in a private setting, but he was still asking for them to go on a walk in a forest alone and that sounded very romantic, and perfect, to Marinette.

"I love you, I mean I would love to." Marinette stammered out, feeling her own blush grow as her usual awkwardness around Adrien briefly returned.

"Great." Adrien said with a dazzling smile at her, meeting her eyes this time. "It's late so we should exchange bags and then go to bed before Nino or Alya start to ask too many uncomfortable questions."

"Agreed." Marinette said with a nod. Adrien smiled again and brought her bag over to her and took his back.

Adrien was about to turn and leave when Marinette had an idea. She knew that this was bold but she also knew that it was the right thing to do. It was also something she had wanted to do for well over a year.

"Adrien, wait!" Marinette said and Adrien turned to face her.

That was when Marinette rushed forward and before Adrien could react, she grabbed his face and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. She broke it off after a moment knowing that there would be more between them tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow, kitty." Marinette said coyly as she turned, grabbed her bag and hurried off to return to her tent.

She did not look back at the no doubt stunned Adrien she had just left behind. Tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting for them and their budding relationship.

* * *

Adrien just stood there staring blankly at Marinette as she ran off, his fingers lightly touching his lips as Plagg rolled his eyes at the entire scene. Adrien's trance at what Marinette had just done was broken when Marinette tripped over and face planted the grass in her usually, undignified, way. Adrien smiled at his lady, his love, as she got up, dusted herself off and continued to try and run towards her tent. Tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting for them and Adrien couldn't wait for what tomorrow was going to bring them.

Turning, Adrien picked up his bag, Plagg flying into it to hide, and headed back to his own tent, smiling uncontrollably. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. With that thought, Adrien retired for the night. The day had been more interesting and wondrous then he could have expected, his first camping experience couldn't have gone any better.

 **This one was a lot longer than I anticipated but all that means is more for y'all to enjoy. I should be able to finish and release the bonus chapter sometime this coming Wednesday as well as the standard chapter next weekend, so for now we are back on schedule but a forced hiatus is on the horizon as I have real world writing assignments to complete.** **A** ** ** ** **s always please** ** **keep your suggestions coming, there has recently been a massive blitz of prompts given to me which has more than doubled the current length of this fic. If the reveal in the show was to happen today and thus signal the end of accepted prompts, the final count of oneshots in this series (suggested, bonus, and special combined) will be 83! That will make this series the longest single fanfic (my Avatar/HP crossover series will cumulatively be longer) that I have ever written. This series is not going to end anytime soon but I am always hungry for more. As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews, I read all of them and try to respond to them if I can, and feel free to leave a review that is just your top 5 oneshots so far and why so I know what works and what doesn't work in this series. Until next week.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	37. Vodka

**Here is the 37th total, and 4th bonus, oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is a bonus oneshot released because of my missed week a few weeks ago. There are two more bonus oneshots (and a special edition oneshot) in the list over the coming weeks/months so get ready for them. This is another oneshot that has one of my Guardians making an appearance and will make several Greek and other historical references which I know some followers aren't a fan of but this is a bonus oneshot so I use more of my own ideas in these than the suggested ones in which I just expand upon the fantastic ideas y'all suggest to me. There are just a few important things to note here given that this chapter deals with alcohol consumption but the story rating is T (there are a few other borderline M rated oneshots like this in the pipeline as well). First, there is no drinking age inside a private residence in France, but it is 18 to purchase which is not happening in this fic. Second, due to the consumption of alcohol, the ages in this fic of the characters are upped to 16 to make it socially acceptable by French standards as that is where the story takes place so I hold all chapters to French and not American standards/law. Third, I know I said last week that I wouldn't do anything post 'Heroes Day' until the episodes came out on Netflix but I had to with this oneshot to make everything fit and take a few licenses I normally wouldn't take otherwise but were needed for this fic. Lastly, I in absolutely no way condone underage drinking, even if I think that drinking at 16 with a meal or in a private home is perfectly acceptable so long as someone is responsible. That's all for this longer than usual pre oneshot note. Sit back and enjoy this bonus oneshot in this series, Vodka.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Vodka** **\- Adrien's father is going out of town for the weekend and is taking Nathalie and Adrien's bodyguard with him. Adrien is under strict orders from his father to stay inside all weekend alone. What self respecting 16 year old listens to his father though. Adrien decides to use the weekend to invite his Nino, Alya, and Marinette over for a sleepover, complete with what any 16 year old wants, vodka. The kwamis also come for their own party. Surely alcohol, friends, and a weekend alone is safe, right?  
**

* * *

 **Vodka**

"I will be out of town for the weekend, Nathalie will be accompanying me as usual." Adrien's father said to him after his father had called him to his office. "Due to my profile, I will be taking your bodyguard with me as well. You are to remain in the house while I am gone, I will be checking the security logs to make sure that you stay inside all weekend. The house chef has prepared your meals for you while we are all away so everything has been taken care of."

"Yes father." Adrien said with a nod. "May I ask where you are going?"

"I am heading to Milan for the weekend." Gabriel Agreste said simply. "After making a public appearance during your latest show, I am expected to be more available in the fashion world these days. Normally I wouldn't go, but this is a business opportunity that is too good to pass up. There is a niche fashion show there right now and I am expecting to find some unique talent that would put me ahead of my competitors for what is about to be in style with your generation."

"Very well." Adrien said with another nod. "I will be here for the weekend, I will not leave."

"Good." Gabriel said with a curt nod to him. "I expect you to show me what you have learned regarding your piano lessons and your Chinese studies."

"I will make sure that they are done, father." Adrien said with yet another nod.

"Good, you are dismissed." Gabriel said looking back at his computer. "I will be leaving in an hour. Have a fun weekend."

Adrien didn't say anything as he left his father's office and returned to his room. Once his door was closed Adrien smiled to himself. He was certainly going to have fun this weekend but it wouldn't be what his father classified as fun.

Finally, after so many years of his father being cooped up in the house following his mother's disappearance, Gabriel Agreste was leaving and taking his assistant and bodyguard with him for a whole weekend. For the first time Adrien was going to be home alone for a few days and he intended to make the most of it.

Pulling out his phone, Adrien opened up a group chat that he, Nino, Alya and Marinette had for school work and other activities that Adrien usually couldn't join them in but did FaceTime with them for. At last Adrien was going to have a normal weekend with his friends like an average teenager would.

 **Adrien:** Guys, great news! Dad is going out of town today for the weekend and he's taking both Nathalie and my bodyguard with him. I know it's last minute but would y'all be down for a sleepover at mine tonight? Y'all can spend the whole weekend if you want.

Adrien didn't have to wait long for a response. His friends were always reliable to respond as soon as possible and this was such big news that all would jump on it right away.

 **Nino:** Dude I am totally down! This is going to be awesome! I got some sick new beats to lay down that no one has heard yet!

 **Alya:** Hell yeah I'm free for this! My sister owes me for constantly babysitting the twins so I can call in a favor tonight. This is too momentous to pass up.

 **Marinette:** OMG! I am so down for this! I will start baking fresh macaroons and cookies for us to snack on as soon as I get permission.

 **Alya:** Adrien, how large is your movie library?

 **Adrien:** Vast. I have just about everything that is good, and plenty that are utter crap, no matter the genre.

 **Marinette:** So long as it isn't horror I am so down to binge a few films.

 **Alya:** I'm sure there is a strong man there to protect you if we do watch some horror films Marinette, right Adrien ;)

 **Marinette:** ALYA!

 **Adrien:** Don't worry Marinette, we won't watch any horror films, they aren't my favorite either.

 **Marinette:** Thank you Adrien.

 **Alya:** Whatever. We are totally playing sleepover games. Can anyone get any good refreshments to add to the night? By refreshments, I mean something with alcohol in it, we can bring soda to mix with but we are 16, we should be drinking tonight!

 **Adrien:** I can check our drinks cabinet, dad doesn't drink anymore and we have so much that he won't miss a bottle of something.

 **Nino:** Dude that is epic! Get a bottle of the hard stuff and we can properly celebrate Adrien's first free night at home alone in style.

 **Adrien:** I can grab a bottle of Grey Goose. Dad made sure that I understood alcohol and responsible drinking last year so we won't abuse it but we will have a good time.

 **Marinette:** I am a little nervous about there being alcohol, I may not drink.

 **Alya:** Come on Marinette, it will be fun. Plus, we are teenagers, we are expected to experiment with vodka while on a sleepover.

 **Adrien:** Don't worry Marinette, I would never force or pressure you into drinking if you don't want to.

 **Marinette:** Thanks Adrien :) Maybe I will have a few drinks with everyone, we'll see.

 **Alya:** I am so looking forward to this!

 **Nino:** Wait! Adrien what about the security at your house? Surely your dad will check it.

 **Adrien:** Don't worry about that. I know how to set up a loop on the feed, had to do that so that I could fake piano practices, y'all will be safe. Plus, all dad said was that I stay in all weekend, he never said anything about not having people around.

 **Alya:** Loophole! I love it.

 **Adrien:** I know, I always look out for them. Let's say get here around 9pm tonight.

 **Nino:** Perfect, I'll get to work on the playlist for tonight.

 **Marinette:** Yeah, I have to go and start baking and getting permission to come, see y'all tonight!

 **Alya:** Yeah, I am going to look up some fun games for tonight. See y'all soon.

 **Adrien:** Great! Can't wait.

Adrien closed the group chat on his phone knowing that their conversation was over until they messaged regarding permission to come over. Adrien spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for his father to leave and cleaning his room in preparation for the night's activities. It was his first ever sleepover and Adrien wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.

Once his father was gone, and Adrien was certain that he wasn't going to be coming back for any last-minute things, Adrien went down to the cellar where the alcohol was kept. His father had made sure that Adrien was educated on alcohol and its dangers, though the main reason had been so that Adrien knew and could appreciate good wine and Champagne.

As such, Adrien knew what he was looking for. It didn't take him long to find a box of Grey Goose vodka his father kept down here. It was a French brand and a good one at that, only the best for his father. Adrien knew that his father wouldn't notice a missing bottle but Adrien decided to play it safe. Instead of going for a liter bottle, Adrien went for one of the half liter ones as he didn't know how much alcohol his friends could handle. Better to be safe than to risk alcohol poisoning, that was something that Adrien did not want to have to sort out.

With the bottle and 4 glasses in his room, Adrien called the chef for his and Plagg's dinner. With the meal served and his chef going home soon, all Adrien could do was wait for his friends and rig the security system to make sure that his father didn't realize that they had been here. Tonight, was going to be a fun night of bonding with his friends like normal teens. Adrien couldn't wait, he knew that tonight was going to be memorable and one of the best nights of his life.

* * *

After dinner, and after his chef had gone home, Adrien had rigged the surveillance system to show that he had been alone all weekend. His friends, all of who had gotten parental permission to come though Adrien didn't ask if they had asked to come to his or one of the other's homes, arrived a few minutes after that, ringing the bell by the front gate.

Adrien went to Nathalie's work station and used the high-tech camera to make sure that his friends were out there. They were. Smiling, Adrien hit the button to open the gate, it automatically closed behind them, and then went to the front hall to great his friends for their sleepover.

"Sup dude." Nino said as he entered the house and fist bumped Adrien in greeting.

"Sup." Adrien responded with a smile at his best friend.

"Thanks for having us." Marinette said as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on each check, which Adrien returned causing Marinette to blush deeply for some reason. "As you can tell, my parents said yes."

"It's no big." Adrien replied with a smile as he greeted Alya in a similar fashion.

"It is big, I can't believe that you can do this." Alya said with a smile.

"Well dad doesn't know so let's try to avoid destroying the place." Adrien said as he lead them and his room. "Hence why we will stay in my room as it can be destroyed to a point."

As they walked, and laughed at Adrien's comment, Adrien noticed that Alya was wearing a new fox tail pendant, similar to the one that Lila had shown him and Rena Rouge wore as her miraculous. Adrien would have been suspicious, but he knew that his father made jewelry like that and just assumed that Nino had bought it for Alya for her birthday or something. There were so many imitation miraculous jeweler around now because of them that Adrien just assumed that it was one of the many his father's company produced.

"What's the plan?" Marinette asked as they entered Adrien's room and closed the door behind them.

"First, just put your stuff on my bed." Adrien said and his friends did that, except for a box that Marinette had brought and that judging from the smell, contained freshly baked treats. "Then we get this sleepover party started."

"I am so down for that." Nino said as he went over to Adrien's music system and hooked up his phone. "I have the perfect playlist for tonight, been working on it all afternoon so it has all of our favorites."

In seconds, the music began. Adrien had to admit, it was a good selection of music. Then again, he expected nothing less from his best friend.

"You got the liquor?" Alya asked with a smirk as they all gathered on Adrien's couch. "Cos, I have a few drinking games we can play."

"Of course, I got it." Adrien said with a smirk as he went over to his bed, grabbed the bottle of Grey Goose and the glasses. "Though I suggest we take it steady, I don't know how much y'all can handle."

"Good idea." Marinette said as she took a glass from Adrien. "I haven't had much experience, just the odd glass of wine with my parents on special occasions, so I think I will pace myself tonight."

"Same." Alya said as she accepted a glass. "We still have plenty of years ahead of us to get properly wasted."

"Well, let us start with a shot of this fine vodka." Nino said as he took the final glass. "And see where the night takes us."

"Agreed." Adrien said as he opened the bottle and poured each of them a standard shot of the vodka. "To friends."

"To friends." The other 3 repeated as they all raised their glasses, clinked them, and then downed the fiery liquor in unison. The night had officially begun.

* * *

"So, what is our plan while our humans have their own party?" Tikki asked Plagg, Trixx and Wayzz. "Plagg, as this is your human's place, I believe that you are in charge are you not?"

After the events during Heroes Day and the revelation of another Miraculous Holder using a miraculous for evil, Master Fu had decided that all 5 miraculouses needed to be in circulation. As such, Trixx and Pollen were officially activated and given to their humans while Wayzz went to Nino. To make up for relinquishing Wayzz, Master Fu had activated Sass to keep him company and the Snake Kwami was proving to be a treasure trove of information on Kwami Lore and a great companion for Master Fu.

Therefore, because Adrien was having a sleepover with three other Miraculous Holders, Plagg had decided to have his own party with his brothers and sister kwami while their humans were having a party of their own. Also it was an excuse for Plagg to throw a party and let lose and Plagg took any excuse he could to have a party.

Plagg had set up a small table for them on Adrien's upper balcony, where his human wouldn't come as Adrien had already selected the films for them to watch before the others had arrived, and awaited the other kwamis. He had a plan for tonight and they were going to have fun, Plagg style.

"I am." Plagg said with a nod to Tikki.

"Plus, you are the one who knows how to party like no other kwami." Trixx said with a grin. "Remember the time we hit the bars in Asgard, what a night!"

"Didn't you two meet up with Thor and the Guardian of Thunder and end up demolishing a large portion of the Aesir gods home?" Wayzz asked. "There was a bit of an outcry about that when it happened."

"Yup." Trixx said with a nod. "Plagg and I are still banned from every bar in Asgard to this day. Totally worth it to learn just how much lightning the Thunder Guard could handle and only the Guardian of Thunder could accomplish that. Course once Thor reached that level he farted and caused the actual destruction so it technically wasn't our fault."

"What did expect would happen? The Guardian of Thunder is one of the original Guardians." Tikki said shaking her head at the two more mischievous kwamis. "Of course you destroyed part of Asgard."

"Nothing less than the best from one of the primordial Guardians." Plagg said with a grin of his own. "But yes, I have a plan for us tonight. While our humans are enjoying some fine French vodka, though personally I prefer the Russian stuff, getting drunk the way 16-year-old humans are want to do when left unsupervised, and having a good time, we will be doing the same. However, there is a slight twist that only I could come up with."

"Why is it that every time you say something like that I fear that destruction is at hand." Tikki said shaking her head. "Even if you are the Kwami of Destruction."

"I don't always destroy shit." Plagg replied with a smug look on his.

"Really." Tikki said giving him a reproachful look that only she could give him after dealing with Plagg's antics for millennia. "The last time you said that you created the Howe Caverns in New York State."

"That wasn't my fault." Plagg said defensively. "That sneaky fucking raccoon tricked me into doing it. Stole my dinner in the process as well and that was some good jerky I had that night."

"And what had you been drinking at the time?" Tikki asked.

"Er, I believe that it was a homemade whiskey that my human had on him." Plagg said with a thought. "To be honest, that night was pretty hazy, me and old Azeban were pretty intoxicated at the time so the details are fuzzy. One moment we are pounding shots, the next I wake up in an underground lake with no idea how I got there or the cave I was in existing before that night."

"My point exactly." Tikki said with her own smug look. "You tend to destroy stuff when you let lose."

"I am so jealous that you two got to enjoy America." Trixx said with a sigh. "Sounds so fun out there."

"It was but it is nothing compared to what we have now in modern times." Tikki said with a smile. "The technology these days is amazing."

"It is and I saw it all evolve over the years." Wayzz said with a smile. "It was unreal."

"Speaking of unreal." Trixx said before he turned and looked at Plagg. "What unreal twist do you have for us tonight. It had better be good."

"Well, while our humans are sipping on one spirit, I thought I would ensure that we all got our favorites and an endless supply of them." Plagg said with a wicked grin. "And I got the very best of them for us. When have I ever let you down Trixx?"

"Never Plagg, and Pollen will be so envious of us when we tell her about this in school on Monday." Trixx said with a smirk on his face. "That is providing we don't get a lecture from her about how her queen pampered and spoiled her this weekend. Thar bee is so vain at times, Chloe is the perfect human for her."

"Probably the latter and that will make the hangover so much worse." Plagg said shaking his head. "And trust me, we will be feeling this for at least 48 hours, I expect no less."

"I am the Kwami of Creation and have healing powers." Tikki said with an infuriatingly sweet smile. "So, I won't get a hangover."

"Can you help us out?" Plagg asked trying, and failing, to give Tikki puppy eyes. "Please, my hangovers are terrible."

"Plagg, you know very well that only Barkk can get away with puppy eyes." Tikki scolded, shaking her head at him. "And no, it will serve you right given whatever you have in store for us."

"What do you have in store for us?" Wayzz asked. "I never know what to expect from you, even after all these millennia, so I am curious and a little nervous to see what you have for us."

"Well, the other day, during one of my many late-night sessions with Mimir and a few of the old crowd, I won…"

"You won something!" Tikki exclaimed, surprised. "Normally you lose, what is the deity debt count currently at?"

"87 deities across about a dozen pantheons, 752 monsters from all cultures, and about 19,346 individual nature, animal, or water, spirits but that's not the point." Plagg said dismissively waving his paw for emphasis. "Though that number always fluctuates and the spirits tend to have terrible concept of time so don't expect repayment right away, and those debts are usually pretty light anyway. Yes, sugar cubes, I do sometimes win. What I won, in addition to the end of my debt with that particular deity, was a favor from her. Now it wasn't enough for tonight so now I owe her a favor but she can't call it in for about a decade as it requires causing problems for her estranged father and he's in exile on Long Island at the moment."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this." Tikki said with a sigh.

"Because you always have a bad feeling about whatever I do." Plagg replied with a smirk as he produced a white grape out of nowhere. "Now stand back, I need to summon her."

With that Plagg squeezed the grape until it burst, flying back so that the surprisingly large amount of juice did not get on him. Plagg smirked as the juice began to move in the air of its own accord while the other kwamis stared at it in shock.

"I had a feeling this was who you were talking about as soon as you produced a grape, you would eat fruit." Tikki said shaking her head at Plagg again. "This is going to be a long night. If our humans don't learn about each other from either us, or themselves for that matter, then it will be a miracle."

The other kwamis didn't respond as the grape juice began to take shape. In seconds it had formed the profile of a woman, only one that was a little larger than the size of a kwami. Once the woman was fully formed, including clothes made out of the grape skin, the grape juice woman changed until what looked like a miniature human woman stood before the assembled kwamis.

The woman before them was a classical beautiful. A full, curvy figure, amble breasts, and long, silky, black hair that was dyed blond at the tips. She had fair skin and soft, yet knowing, brown eyes that looked over the kwamis with a gaze that looks centuries older than her physical appearance.

The woman wore a low cut, pale yellow, short sleeved shirt that Plagg always thought looked like a fine champagne and that showed plenty of cleavage. She wore a pair of tight blue jeans that were dotted with fruit of all sorts but which also showed of her ass. She was a woman who knew that she was attractive and enjoyed the feeling of showing off her assets. Plagg knew that any man, or woman, who dared to try to get near this woman would quickly learn how deadly she was.

In addition to her clothes, the woman had several visible tattoos on her arms. A string of grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, oranges, and pears, were tattooed around her left forearm, while a selection of various plants, mainly barley, wormwood, and wheat, were tattooed around her upper left arm. On the inside of her right forearm was a single tattoo that read VINA 26 in what looked like spilt white wine, complete with realistic bubbles.

Lastly, there were her weapons. On her right hip was a sheathed, straight, dagger, with what looked like woven barley around the handle. On her left hip were a pair of curved, and viciously sharp looking, golden harvest sickles. She commanded a presence around her that few in the universe could match, especially with the scent of the recently opened vodka in the air.

"Vina, Guardian of Alcohol, we are humbled by your presence." The kwamis all said in unison and bowing their heads towards her out of respect.

"Please, drop the formalities, I am here due to a complicated deal with Plagg, not in any official capacity regarding my element or its consumption." Vina said in French with a distinctly Russian accent. "I am just here to help you have some fun tonight, and to look over your humans as the consume my element. Do not worry, I will ensure that none are poisoned, Mage would not forgive me if I allowed the wielders of his miraculouses to die drink too much."

"Vina, good to see you again." Trixx said with another bow and a not so subtly glance at her cleavage. "As beautiful as always and thank you for looking out for our humans, they are a little inexperienced."

"Trixx your sly fox, what has it been? 300, 400 years?" Vina said with a smile as she walked over to the Fox Kwami and pointedly lifted his head up. "And don't worry, I know they are inexperienced, hence why Mage wants me to keep a vague presence here to look after them."

"Around that long ago." Trixx said with a laugh as he flew away from Vina and out of her immediate slapping reach. "Whenever that Polish-Cossack war was."

"About 350 years ago or so, good times." Vina said with a smile of remembrance. "Those boys sure knew how to drink. Wayzz, been a few decades, how's Fu?"

"He's good, still got a few of those wine bottles you gave him when we moved to France." Wayzz said with a happy look on his face. "Due to the situation, I am currently with one of the teen boys who knows Ladybug and Cat Noir, Fu has Sass to keep him company in the meantime."

"Well wine is a thing here." Vina said with a laugh. "Some of my best vineyards are here. Good to hear that Sass is active, he doesn't get the attention that slippery little snake deserves. Tikki, been a while."

"Not since the American Revolution I believe." Tikki said happily as she flew over and hugged a slightly surprised Vina. Adrien knew that the Alcohol Guardian was one of the female deities that Tikki actually got along with, mainly because Vina didn't drag Tikki along for whatever it was that Aphrodite did with the female kwamis.

"We accidentally ended up in one of your vineyards in Virginia I believe." Tikki continued after ending the hug with Vina.

"Sounds about right." Vina said with a knowing look. "Molly's first taste if I recall correctly. Sweet girl, she's doing well in Elysium, she deserved to go there after all you two did during the War of Independence."

"Good to hear she is well and yes, yes it was her first taste of wine." Tikki said with a nod.

"Shame, my places in California are much better than those in Virginia or Arkansas but the Golden State wasn't a place back then, well nor was Arkansas." Vina said shaking her head before she looked at Plagg. "Plagg, been a week or so. Still as destructive and mischievous as ever I see."

"Something like that and you know I am." Plagg said with a grin. "You coming to Fracture's next week? He lost to Mimir the other day and now has to host for the next two months. He hates sharing his ossuary with the likes of me but he has to for a month."

"Alas I can't." Vina said shaking her head. "Got another engagement to deal with that requires too much of my consciousness to attend a small game night in Paris' catacombs. Besides, I am spread thin as it is what with the prevalence of my element in the world. I have sent Fracture some of the good stuff though, his reactions to whiskey are priceless."

"True, true." Plagg said with a laugh. "What was it last time?"

"Montana." Vina said instantly. "Good local place as well, top quality by American standards. What happened, I had to bail early or else I would end up making some stupid bet with my uncle and he usually requires me to make some explosive liquor that for some inexplicable reason is nitro glycerin based as a penalty and that shit is nasty, and I am supposed to like all alcohol."

"Ares does a lot of inexplicable things." Plagg said shaking his head. "It is why I rarely deal with him. As for Fracture; well he ended up deciding it was a good idea to ask his father to redirect the Phlegethon to his bedroom and sleep in it. No idea why he did so but he did. It was not a pretty sight in the morning."

"Damn, sounded like a good night." Vina said with a sigh. "Anyway, as you well know Plagg, I am here for a different reason. What do y'all want. Whatever it is, it will be bottomless for the next 8 hours so go wild."

"Please Vina, do not tell Plagg and Trixx to go wild." Wayzz said with a look of horror on his face. "The last time that happened, Tikki and her owner had to rebuild part of Constantinople."

"That was you two 500 years ago!" Vina exclaimed in shock. "I just thought that they had pissed off Poseidon or something."

"Oh, he was there, who do you think we were partying with that night." Trixx said with a sly smirk. "Now that was a wild night, old barnacle beard can party like few other gods."

"Why do I feel like Plagg has been at the root of a lot of destruction throughout history." Vina said slapping her face with her hand. "I should really question several events of the past, shouldn't I?"

"I am the Kwami of Destruction, it is in my nature to be destructive." Plagg said with a grin. "Anyway, I will take a mason jar of your finest moonshine my dear."

"Stay away from raccoons and skunks this time." Vina said as she snapped her fingers and a kwami sized mason jar filled with the clear, grain, alcohol appeared on the table Plagg had set up. "I got an earful from Arbor about letting animal spirits drink and Azeban and Aniwye haven't forgiven me after last time you three decided to enjoy some moonshine."

"Will do." Plagg said with a nod. "Neither of them are in, or have ever been to, Paris so I am safe from them and my debts to them."

"Fate has a way of fucking with us all whenever she wants." Vina said sternly. "Don't test her again Plagg. Trixx what will you have?"

"Vodka on the rocks for me, I will join my human tonight." Trixx said and instantly a glass of it appeared on the table.

"Remember to thank the Ice and Glass Guardians when you get a chance as I have had to dip into their elements to provide for y'all tonight." Vina said as Trixx picked up his glass. "And on that note, Plagg, you owe both of them favors for this. Small favors but given the fact that you owe both of them money and larger favors from various bets, it adds up."

"Baiser." Plagg swore. "Very well, it will be added to their tabs."

"Rum Vina, if that is ok, and preferably something with a Caribbean flare." Wayzz said and a tumbler of dark, spiced, rum appeared on the table.

"Only the finest for you Wayzz." Vina said with a smile at the Turtle Kwami. "Tikki? What will you have?"

"I will stay classy tonight and go with your famous red wine." Tikki said with a smile as a wine glass appeared filled with the dark red liquid. "I've never had anything like it since."

"As always, you are the pinnacle of sophistication amongst the kwamis." Vina said with a kind smile at Tikki that caused the Ladybug Kwami to blush slightly at the compliment. "If that is all, I must go. Have fun and don't let Plagg use his powers, there's always too much explaining to do whenever he uses them."

Before any of the kwamis could react, Vina suddenly burst into a light-yellow mist that dissipated into the air, leaving only the faint scent of grapes in her wake, a trait Plagg knew that Vina shared with her father. Plagg turned to his fellow kwamis and smiled broadly at them.

"What did I tell you, I know how to throw a party."

"That you do." Tikki said shaking her head. "And just for this night, I will let lose, as my human is doing the same below."

"What shall we drink too?" Wayzz asked as he picked up his rum and gave it an appreciative sniff. "Damn, Vina knows how to create good alcohol."

"Given the fact that she, not her father, invented wine and that she is the Guardian of Alcohol, of course she knows how to make good alcohol." Trixx said as he swirled his drink around his appropriately sized glass. "Silly turtle."

"How about to Nooroo and Duusu." Plagg suggested after a pause, deciding not to add to Trixx and Wayzz's conversation. "You know, to hope that they are safe and that we can rescue them soon. Hawk Moth and Mayura are using them for evil, no kwami should ever face that. Afterwards, well I have millennia of drinking games for us to try out."

"That's a noble thing for you to do Plagg." Tikki said with a smile. "To Nooroo and Duusu, may we save them soon."

"To Nooroo and Duusu." The other kwamis said in unison before they all knocked back their drinks in one gulp.

"Right, let's get the party fucking started." Plagg said as he downed a second kwami sized shot of moonshine that had instantly replaced the one he had just taken. "First game, have I done it? Y'all guess at things I may or may not have done throughout my long long life and if you are right I drink, if not y'all drink."

"You are on." Trixx said with his trademark sly grin. "Right, Plagg, have you ever …"

* * *

"Right, I have a different game for us to play." Alya said with a slight slur to her words as she put down a pack of cards that they had been using.

"Another one?" Adrien asked. "How many games did you research for tonight?"

"A few." Alya admitted with a shrug. "But this one is good. It's the one I wanted to play but I needed us to be a few shots in to be open enough to play it."

Adrien just shook his head slowly at this, he didn't feel like he could move his head any faster or else he would get dizzy. They had been in his room for over 2 hours now and all of them were tipsy at least, if not fast approaching drunk. Alya had produced a pack of cards, dice, and a coin for a series of drinking games that she had researched for tonight.

So far, they had played games involving the cards and the dice and all had lost at times and thus had to drink. After the first, burning, shot of vodka, Adrien realized that he should have grabbed some beer as well but he didn't really want to go get it. They had stuck to the vodka, though they had mixed it with soda that Marinette had brought with the baked goods so that they weren't drinking straight shots and could pace themselves. If Adrien had to guess, they were about 5 shots deep at the moment, though he could be wrong given the mixed drinks.

They had started the night on his sofa, but after a few drinks and Alya's desire for them to sit in a circle, they had moved the floor where there was space. Naturally, they were all around the half empty vodka bottle. What had started as a circle, now wasn't. Alya and Nino had decided to cuddle up as soon as possible, which had initially made Adrien a little uncomfortable.

However, since then, Marinette had cuddled up to him and was resting her head on his shoulder as he had his arm around her waist as there was nowhere else to put it. Adrien wasn't sure how they got like this, but his alcohol muddled mind didn't care. His mind even thought that Marinette looked a little like his lady, minus the mask, but Adrien just chalked that up to the vodka that he had consumed.

Still, it was nice to be this close to someone, even if Adrien only saw Marinette as a close friend, a feeling he expected that she shared. She wasn't his lady so he wouldn't let any feelings happen that could get in the way of his quest to be with Ladybug, no matter how cute Marinette looked at the moment.

"What's the game Alya?" Marinette asked, breaking Adrien from his confusing thoughts regarding his friend.

"Truth or dare." Alya said with a wicked grin. "A classic sleepover game. Now that we have all had a few drinks, we should be more open and willing to be daring/truthful."

"I'm down babe." Nino said.

"Same." Adrien added, this did sound pretty fun and it was a classic teen game to play. "Should be fun."

"I'll play but on one condition." Marinette said more seriously than Adrien thought given the amount they had all had to drink.

"Name it bestie." Alya said a little too loudly.

"Nothing said or done here ever, and I mean ever, leaves this room." Marinette said looking at all of them, well all but Adrien as she had not bothered to move from her position. "I'm serious."

"Of course everything said here stays here." Adrien said giving her side a squeeze that for some reason caused Marinette to blush, smile and pointedly glance away from him. "I would never think of telling what goes on here. Y'all can trust me."

"Yeah same." Nino agreed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Alya said as she reached into the middle of the group and poured each of them another shot into their original glasses and not the cups that Marinette had brought with the soda. "With the amount of vodka, we have drunk, certain things may come out, or happen, that we can only trust between ourselves so of course anything said here stays here. Now drink up, and let's play truth or dare!"

They all took another shot of the burning liquid, though it didn't burn quite as much as before, and put their glasses down. Adrien looked at Alya expectantly, she was in charge of games so it made sense that she be the one to start them off.

"Oh, right, yeah I go first right." Alya said with a slightly sheepish look on her face. "Alright, Adrien as our host you can go first. Truth or dare."

"Let's be adventurous and go with dare." Adrien said with what he hoped was a confident, and not a goofy, look.

"Hmm." Alya thought and Adrien saw her look at Marinette and wink, to which Marinette went bright red and tried to shake her head but Alya just smiled widely and looked back to Adrien. "Adrien, I dare you to make out with Marinette."

"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed shocked at her friend's suggestion.

"It's a dare Marinette, Adrien has to do it." Nino said with a grin. "Unless he's chicken that is."

"Rules are rules." Adrien agreed as he looked down at Marinette. "But I will only do so if you are ok with it and consent to it."

"I, I, course of am, I have wanted to for ages, I mean yes I agree." Marinette stammered out. "I give you permission to kiss me Adrien."

"Alright, here goes." Adrien said as he gently lifted Marinette's head off his shoulder, bent down, and kissed her.

The kiss was oddly familiar to Adrien, though he couldn't quite figure out why, especially given the fact that his only kiss had been when Ladybug had kissed him to break Dark Cupid's power. That didn't stop it from being a great kiss or from Marinette really getting into it for some reason. Adrien was swept away in the moment and was only brought back to reality by Alya coughing at them. Adrien didn't even realize that he and Marinette were now lying side by side on the floor, both blushing after the moment and trying to not look at each other in the eye.

"Well that was better than I had hoped." Alya said with a smirk. "Already, Adrien, it's your turn to ask someone."

"Ok, Nino, truth or dare." Adrien asked his best friend after he and Marinette had sat back up and returned to their pre dare position.

"After what you did, I have to go with dare." Nino said with a grin. "Can't get upstaged by my best friend now can I."

"I dare you to sing and dance to the most girly song you own." Adrien said with a grin.

"Yes, great dare." Alya said with a laugh and clapping her hands. "I added a few of my favorites to his playlist. They are all very girly."

"Challenge accepted." Nino said with a nod, not ashamed in the least about making an ass out of himself before them.

Nino then proceeded to get up, stagger slightly, and carefully make his way to the music station where his tunes were playing for them. After a moment the music changed to the latest, and most girly, Clare Nightingale song Alya had added to his music collection. Nino proceeded to wait as the into began and then launched into it with gusto. Adrien had to admit, it was an impressive rendition of the song, complete with the latest dance moves and pitch changes. When it was done, Nino held the final pose for a moment and then bowed as all they all applauded.

"Well done." Adrien said to his best friend as he clapped.

"That was so worth it, thank you Adrien for that dare." Alya said with a laugh, clapping the loudest out of all of them.

Nino waited for the applause to die down, though Adrien was certain he heard a hoot from his balcony that sounded a lot like Plagg but brushed it off, his kwami knew to be quiet tonight so that he wouldn't reveal himself to Adrien's friends. Nino had to take a moment to regain himself after the drunken exertion he had done but as soon as he was ready, he turned to Marinette.

"Marinette, truth or dare." Nino said as he caught his breath and clearly fought the urge to be sick.

"Er, truth, I'm not up for a dare." Marinette said after a moment and another drink of the vodka and soda she had.

"What is your deepest secret." Nino said at once and Adrien had a feeling that Alya had suggested this question to him before they got here. There had clearly been some coordination between the couple to steer tonight in a certain way for reasons Adrien couldn't figure out.

"And it has to be something that Alya doesn't know, it can't be the secret that all but Adrien know." Nino added after a moment.

"Wait, what don't I know." Adrien asked confused as he looked at a blushing Marinette. Was there something that Marinette had told everyone else and not him?

"Adrien, it's not really a secret, you are just too blind to notice it." Alya said kindly. "But you will learn soon enough, hopefully."

"I, I can't say it." Marinette said turning white at the idea of revealing her secret. "I, I, just can't."

"Yes, you can." Nino pointed out. "It's the rule and remember, nothing said here will ever be repeated outside of this room."

"Wait, you have a secret that I don't know." Alya said turning her gaze upon Marinette. "And I am supposed to be your best friend."

"Alya, it's not that, it's something I legit cannot tell you." Marinette said quickly, the words spilling out of her. "I mean, you have a secret that you're not supposed to tell anyone, same with Nino, though both of you know about the other and oh fuck what did I just say. Fucking vodka."

Marinette proceeded to place her hands over her mouth and go deathly pale as Alya and Nino inhaled sharply at what she had said. Adrien was sure that the vodka was making him a little more sluggish than usual but even at his full brainpower, he would have been confused at what had just happened.

"Marinette, you're, you're her." Alya said as she recovered from her shock.

"Who, not me, I'm just Marinette." Marinette said looking wildly around and then stuffing a whole macaroon into her mouth and missing so she splattered it all over her cheek so she continued trying to dig herself out of an apparent hole that she was in. "I'm nobody special, just plain, clumsy, Marinette, that's all. I'm not who you think I am."

"Marinette, there are only two person who know that I have a secret that is not supposed to be told to anyone else." Alya said slowly, cutting off the word vomit that Marinette was spewing. "And that person also knows that Nino knows and vice versa. That person is Ladybug."

"Can someone please explain this to me, I am completely lost." Adrien interrupted. He could have sworn that he had just heard Alya accuse Marinette of being Ladybug.

"Adrien, I am Rena Rouge, Nino is Carapace, and until know, the only other person who knew was Ladybug." Alya said quickly. "So naturally this doesn't leave this room, ever. Anyway, when Marinette here alluded to a secret that she couldn't say and mentioned mine I knew that she had to be Ladybug, which is annoying because now my hero is my best friend, who has also been deceiving me for years, but we can deal with that when we are sober."

"Is it true?" Adrien turned to look at Marinette her blue eyes wide in fear as Adrien quirked a smile. "M'lady."

Marinette's eyes went even wider when he used his pet name for Ladybug, one only Ladybug knew. That was enough for Adrien to realize the truth that Marinette was in deed Ladybug and therefore the love of his life. Hopefully she would realize the clue he had just given her so that she could figure out who he was. Apparently all of their secrets were coming out tonight and Adrien didn't care.

"Kitty?" Marinette asked him, as if to confirm that Adrien was who he alluded he was.

Adrien just smiled and was about to answer when suddenly there was a whopping noise from above them. Adrien looked up to see a black blur flying circles in the air and groaned, Plagg had come to join them apparently. The kwami had clearly been listening and had expected this moment so he was now coming out of hiding and joining in on the sleepover party.

"The cat is out of the bag, let's partyyyyy!" Plagg yelled as he shot straight for Adrien.

Before Adrien could react, Plagg flew at high speed right into his forehead. The force of blow knocked Adrien backwards as Plagg rolled across the floor laughing and leaving a scent of what Adrien presumed was a potent alcohol of some sort, and a minor headache from where Plagg had flown into him.

"What is that scent?" Nino asked wrinkling his nose. "That smells like pure alcohol."

"That." Came a voice that was followed by a loud hiccup. "Is pure, Guardian Grade, moonshine my dude. Plagg is very fond of it and should never be allowed to touch it. Course, once Plagg has decided on what he wants, it is almost impossible to prevent him from getting it."

Adrien sat up to see three kwamis trying to fly towards them from his balcony, though all were not able to fly in a straight line. The one who had spoken was the Turtle Kwami, Master Fu's kwami Wayzz, if Adrien remembered, but who had been loaned out to Carapace. Adrien realized that his friends were all Miraculous Holders, Alya hadn't been lying when she had claimed it earlier, this was going to take a while to get used to.

The other two kwamis Adrien presumed belonged to the girls. One was clearly a fox so it had to be Alya's while the other was pink with three black spots making it Marinette's. All the kwamis were drunk and only the fox one seemed to be able to fly in what was almost straight line.

"Wait, Adrien is Cat Noir?" Alya asked looking at Adrien.

"I am." Adrien confirmed with a nod. "Can one of the kwamis please explain what is going on."

"Plagg is a party animal, well kwami, and the best at it." The fox looking kwami began. "Also, Adrien is it? I am Trixx, Rena's kwami."

"Hello Trixx." Adrien said as Plagg finally joined them holding a small mason jar fit for a kwami in his paws and downing it in front of them. "Why is my kwami wasted?"

"Well we are all past our limits." Wayzz said hiccuping again and actually moving back and upwards with the force of it. "But Plagg has never been respectful of his limits, Kwami of Destruction and all that."

"We decided that we would have a kwami party while you were enjoying your own party." Plagg said with a grin at Adrien. "I had to get Wayzz and Tikki lose a little, Trixx here knows how to party. I was just waiting for the inevitable reveal to come join y'all."

"Sorry." Marinette's kwami said flying over to her and spilling a glass of red wine all over Marinette's nose as she hugged her. "I tried to tell him not too come and disturb y'all once y'all discovered each others secrets, but Plagg isn't great at listening to, well, anyone."

"Tell me about it." Adrien muttered before he looked at the pink kwami. "Tikki, isn't it?"

"Yes." Tikki said with a nod and only a slight slur to the word. "We tried to stop Plagg but he was set on joining y'all."

"Alya, you have cards, right?" Plagg suddenly said and Alya nodded, looking at the drunk kwami in fascination as Plagg began to fly loops for some inexplicable reason. Adrien had to admit, Plagg could fly pretty well while drunk.

"Good." Plagg said as he came to a jarring halt in front of Alya. "Let's play some blackjack, or poker, or whatever, it's a party."

"Plagg no, you are not gambling with your human again." Tikki admonished. "The last time that happened you almost lost an entire royal family's crown jewels, and a few of their castles."

"Fine." Plagg huffed. "But we are going to keep drinking. It's a time to celebrate! Everything is finally out in the open. No more secrets, no more lies, no more annoying love square. It's all out in the open!""

"That we can do little dude." Nino agreed as he poured all of them another shot of vodka from the nearly depleted bottle. "To it all being out in the open between us, well other than Marinette's massive crush on Adrien."

"To it all being in the open." The others said as they downed their shots, Marinette timidly but she joined in, as did the kwamis.

"Wait, what did Nino just say?" Adrien asked as his best friend's words suddenly sank in and he looked at Marinette who was now both pale and blushing at the same time. "Marinette, do, do you like me? As in like like me? The same way that I like Ladybug."

"Yes." Marinette admitted looking away and then she suddenly snapped her head up and looked him in the eye. "Wait, you are Cat Noir aren't you? I may be a little fuzzy at the moment but I am pretty sure that you are Cat Noir, or else why would Plagg be here."

"I am, bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile as he saw the gears begin to work in Marinette's alcohol muddled mind.

"So that means that you like Ladybug, who is me, and I like Adrien who is Cat Noir." Marinette began as everyone looked at her. "So, so you must like me, right? And that means that I am actually in love with Cat Noir but have been rejecting him because of my love for Adrien and not wanting to give anyone a chance out of hope that Adrien and I would finally get together. My head hurts."

"Yes, all of that is true Marinette." Adrien said with a smile at her. "I always knew I would love the girl behind the mask as well as her alter ego as Ladybug. That means that I love you Marinette."

"I love you too!" Marinette exclaimed as she jumped on him, their lips meeting for the second time that night, though this one much more serious than during the dare.

"Alright you two, break it up." Alya said after a few minutes and Adrien and Marinette sat up blushing at what the fact that they had been making out in front of their best friends and all of their kwamis.

"Yeah we can discuss all this in the morning while we recover from tonight." Nino added. "For now, let's drink and party with the kwamis."

"My dude!" Plagg said headbutting Nino's fist in an attempt to fist bump him and somehow looking fine despite it being the second time in a matter of minutes that Plagg had headbutted something. "Let's get this party fucking started."

Adrien just smiled as they all took a drink and Plagg took the sleepover up a notch, or several. It was going to be a wild night with a lot to explain in the morning but it would be worth it in the end. Adrien took a drink, put an arm around Marinette again, as Plagg went with Nino to sort out the music. It had been total worth defying his dad to have his friends around for the night, Adrien couldn't be happier than he was right now.

He had is friends, they were all superheroes, all their secrets, and kwamis, were out, and most importantly, not only did he have the love of his life with him, but she loved him back. For now, everything was perfect.

* * *

No one heard the faint popping sound or smelt the faint odor of grapes as a human sized Vina materialized in the middle of Adrien's room. It was the early hours and the place was an absolute state. Furniture overturned, broken, or in the shower for reasons Vina didn't particularly care about, the bed sheets everywhere, empty glasses lay in odd places and strewn across the floor was a deck of cards.

The Guardian of Alcohol smiled at the sight. Tame by Plagg's standards, but good for the humans in the room who had been drinking her element. Speaking of the humans, Vina looked around to make sure that they were all ok. She did not want to deal with a pissed of Guardian of Magic if she had allowed any of his Miraculous Holders to get hurt tonight.

Alya and Nino were spooning on the sofa looking really cute, their kwamis doing the same in front of them, a sight that Vina would never let Trixx or Wayzz forget. Tikki was sleeping inside a macaroon that had somehow ended up on top of Adrien's climbing wall, which impressed Vina as it would have taken a good throw to lodge the macaroon up there. Finally, Plagg was inside the empty bottle of Grey Goose that was currently inside the piano of all places, a classic resting spot for Plagg and one that will cause great hilarity when the destructive kwami woke up in the morning. Not the strangest place that Vina knew Plagg had slept, but not a usual place either.

Lastly there was Marinette and Adrien. The new couple were on Adrien's bed, both still dressed having clearly decided to not do anything more than make out during the night. Marinette was resting her head on Adrien's chest as Adrien lay on his back. Vina wasn't the sentimental type, her father Dionysus had made sure of that with his constant chasing of nymphs and stealing her hard work so that he could became a god, but she had to admit that the couple looked very cute.

Once she knew that everyone was ok, Vina walked to the center of the room, not disturbing anything in the process, it was time to give all but Plagg a present. He could suffer with the hangover, part of his payment for her favor today.

Stretching her arms out and closing her eyes, Vina looked into the humans and kwamis and found the traces of alcohol that were still in their bodies. With nothing more than a thought, the Guardian of Alcohol withdrew all of her element that had been imbibed by those in the room from their bodies via their pores, with the exception of Plagg of course. It was an old trick but one that the Guardian had perfected over the millennia since her ascension so as to not harm the humans but one that would ensure that they didn't wake up hungover. That punishment was reserved for Plagg and Plagg alone.

After a few seconds, Vina opened her eyes. In front of her was a clear ball of alcohol that floated there as it awaited her orders. With a touch of a finger, it was absorbed back into its Guardian. Vina nodded, her work done.

"Rest easy young heroes." Vina whispered to the room despite them not able to hear her. "The Guardians will watch over you as best we can for your powers come from our order. The future will have many challenges but we are sure that you will rise to all of them. Good luck heroes."

With that, Vina disappeared into a pale-yellow mist that quickly dissipated into the surrounding air, leaving only a lingering scent of grapes behind. The humans and kwamis slumbered peacefully on, oblivious to what had just happened, as the sun broke over the horizon on a new day and new revelations for the Heroes of Paris.

 **I did not expect this to be an Epic Class oneshot (well technically it only exceeded 10k because of the author notes but meh it's still 10k words long) but it ended up requiring a lot more work than expected. Hopefully this worked as I feel that this is one of my weaker oneshots as it is one of my self generated ones and as such I feel not as original as the suggested ones but it is a bonus oneshot for y'all. One last thing to note here. I know that in the English version Trixx is technically female but in the French (and many other) version, he is male. Also, when Trixx first appeared, it was stated on twitter that his pronouns were he/him/his, and as such I will always treat Trixx as male. That is all for this chapter, the scheduled chapter for this week will be up sometime this weekend I hope and there is another bonus one set for a few weeks due to an inevitable hiatus.** ** ** ** ** ** **As always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews, I read all of them and try to respond to them if I can, and feel free to leave a review that is just your top 5 oneshots so far and why so I know what works and what doesn't work in this series (or rank as many as you want I am always looking for feedback). Until next week.************

 ** ** ** ** ** **Stringdog************


	38. Paint

**Here is the 38th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is another one of the many oneshots suggested by the true heroes of this series, those who suggest oneshots and this is from the same suggester as many, many, prior and future oneshots. There is one bit of news that I must announce here, I am going on hiatus. Unfortunately, real world work is about to catch up with me and as such I must take a hiatus of no less than 2 and no more than 4 weeks from this series (my other active fic is already written and just requires final edits to be uploaded). I will make it up to y'all by working hard to release 4 oneshots over Christmas and will accelerate the list for that (there are over 30 suggested oneshots in that list so I will try to get 2 out a week over the Christmas break), as well as a few bonus oneshots, but this will be last until either December 9th or December 22nd depending on my schedule and procrastination. That is all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Paint.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Paint** **\- Marinette has somehow ended up helping Alya babysit her twin sisters in the local park. As a way to reward and please the twins, Alya paints their faces so that they resemble the masks of the Heroes of Paris. Marinette is then persuaded to join in and eventually allows Alya to paint a Ladybug mask on her face. Next thing she knows, Adrien is in the park and Alya has painted a Cat Noir mask on his face. Marinette decides to pretend Adrien actually is Cat Noir so that she can be confident around him. Nothing bad could come of this, could it?  
**

* * *

 **Paint**

Marinette groaned. She had been roped into babysitting duty by Alya and she didn't even know how it had happened. One minute Marinette had been in her room doing work on her latest fashion project, the next Alya had texted her and now she was in the park near her house with Alya and her twin little sisters. In addition, Marinette had somehow been persuaded to bring a picnic blanket and fresh pastries from the bakery so that they could have a picnic in the park at some point.

Honestly, Marinette didn't mind being on babysitting duty with Alya and her twin sisters. It was nice to get out, spend some time with her best friend, and hopefully run into Adrien in the nearby park. Still, Alya's twin sisters were quite a handful and Marinette was already drained from the girls' apparently limitless energy.

"Right!" Alya said suddenly as they all stopped and Alya sat down on a bench and open her backpack. "You know what time it is, right Sapotis?"

"Yes!" The twins said in unison, identical grins on their identical faces.

"What time is it?" Marinette asked, a note of trepidation in her voice as she had no idea what Alya might have planned for them. Classic Alya to rope her into babysitting and then spring something extra on her at a time when Marinette couldn't say no.

"It's time for face painting, obviously." Alya said with a smirk as she pulled out all she needed to paint the twins' faces and then some extra supplies that made Marinette nervous, there was too much paint for two little girls. "I promised them if they behaved I would paint their faces at the park as any one of the 5 heroes they wanted so that they can run around pretending to be them."

"We want to be Rena Rouge!" The twins said again in unison. "She was who saved us when we were akumatized. She's our hero!"

"That she did and she would always come to save you if you need her." Alya said with a smile while ruffling the twin's hair. Marinette had to smile with her best friend, knowing full well that Alya was Rena Rouge. "Let me make sure I have the right colors for Rena's mask."

Marinette watched as Alya found the orange, black and white face paints needed for the fox themed superhero, pulled out a special brush for the job and got to work. Marinette had to admit, Alya was pretty good with the brush and the paint. It was obvious that her best friend had been practicing and had perfected the art of painting her sisters' faces. In no time, both twins had identical, near perfect, replicas of Rena Rouge's mask.

"Just one more thing to complete the look." Alya said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out two sets of fox ears, the novelty kind sold to mimic Rena's ears but were just slightly off to be noticeably not Rena's.

Alya put the ears on the twins. Both were practically jumping in excitement at the chance to pretend to be Rena and play in the park.

"There we go, two Rena Rouges ready to play." Alya said with a smile at her sisters.

"What about the flute?" One of the twins asked, Marinette honestly still couldn't tell the difference between the two.

"Yeah how are we to use Mirage without it?" The other asked a little upset at not having Rena's weapon.

"You both have the power within you." Alya said touched her sisters right over their hearts. "You don't need the flute to use Mirage, only your own power as Rena Rouge. Also, they haven't made replicas of Rena's flute or Carapace's hand shield so we don't have them yet."

"Besides, isn't Mirage just an illusion? It's all imagination anyway so you don't need the flute." Marinette pointed out getting a quizzical look from Alya for that. "What? You wrote a very detailed article on Rena Rouge and Carapace on the Ladyblog."

"You read that piece?" Alya asked a little surprised.

"Of course, I always read your work." Marinette said giving her best friend a smile. She may not be willing to tell Alya that she was Ladybug, but she would still support her best friend's passion for citizen journalism and the Heroes of Paris, which both of them where.

"Marinette come and join us." One of the twins suddenly said with a wide smile.

"Yeah, you can be Ladybug." The other said. "Your pretty like Ladybug and your hair is similar to hers, you would make a great Ladybug."

"What!" Marinette exclaimed, stunned at what the twins had said and instantly on the defensive, her hand absentmindedly going to one of her twin tails. "No, not me, I would make a terrible Ladybug. She is graceful and amazing, I'm just clumsy and ordinary."

"Come on Marinette."

"Please."

Marinette just looked at the twins and tried to shake her head but they had very convincing puppy dog eyes. Still, Marinette was not going to let Alya paint a Ladybug mask on her, not in a million years. The mask might be too convincing on her and thus give away her secret to Alya, something Marinette couldn't do. Too much risk just to appease Alya's twin sisters and their game.

"Come on Marinette." Alya said as she pulled out the red and black paint that her best friend had clearly brought just for this purpose. "It's just harmless face paint. No one would confuse you with the real Ladybug, it's just a painted-on mask and you don't look that much like Ladybug to begin with. Plus, it would suit you, much better than the other heroes' masks. Though I could give you a Queen Bee mask, make you just like Chloe."

"I really don't think…" Marinette began but now Alya had joined her twins with the puppy dog eyes and Marinette couldn't say no. It wasn't like Alya would get the mask perfect anyway and besides, she would be in civilian clothes.

"Very well, Ladybug, not Queen Bee." Marinette said firmly as she sat down and the twins squealed in delight. "I am not, nor will I ever, try to replicate Chloe. Ladybug is my favorite, she always has been and always will be."

"That's my girl." Alya said with a smirk as she began to get to work.

It took her a few minutes, and Marinette realized in shock a few checks of Alya's phone to make sure that Marinette had the right number and placement of black dots on her face, for Alya to get the work done. The ordeal was over and it was time for Marinette to inspect Alya's handiwork.

Unfortunately, Marinette never got that chance. As soon as Alya had finished and was about to get her phone out so that she could take a picture and show Marinette, she glanced past Marinette and smiled widely.

"Nino, Adrien, come on over here." Alya yelled and Marinette stiffened knowing full well who Alya was referring to. "Join us and get your faces painted."

Marinette did the most natural thing she could think of with her crush coming over and a Ladybug mask painted on her face. She dived head first into the nearest bust to cower and hide her embarrassment, and to avoid accidentally revealing her secret to Adrien.

* * *

Adrien and Nino looked over to see Alya waving them over. Adrien had just finished a photo shoot nearby and had persuaded his dad to let him and Nino, who had had a gig in the area, chill in the park afterwards while his bodyguard watched them from afar. He had certainly not expected to find Alya here in the park but she was here and that meant more friends to hang out with for the afternoon.

"Sup babe." Nino said as they reached Alya. Adrien watched as the two shared a cute couple moment while he inwardly reacted with Alya's twin sisters who were deliberately making faces at Alya and Nino.

"Sup babe." Alya replied after the two had broken apart and then Alya turned to him. "Adrien, I wasn't expecting either of you to be here."

"Yeah my dude had a photo shoot nearby and I was working a gig near him so we decided to chill here afterwards." Nino said slapping Adrien on the back. "His old man allowed it as well, unusual but I am not complaining."

"What Nino said." Adrien said with a smile at Alya and he twin sisters. "I wanted some normal, teen, time and thankfully dad allowed it. So, what are you up too?"

"Well Marinette and I were looking after my sisters and painting their faces." Alya said.

"We're Rena Rouge!" The twin said happily.

"That you are." Adrien said with a smile at them that caused the girls to giggle at the attention.

"Yeah they have loved Rena since I, I mean she, saved them after they were akumatized." Alya said before looking around. "Marinette was here but she seems to have disappeared for the moment, she'll be back though so don't worry about her. So, boys, which hero of Paris shall I paint on you, I already did Ladybug on Marinette, it's your turn now."

"It's got to be Carapace for me." Nino said instantly. "He's my dude, absolutely awesome and a great protector of those who he cares about."

"Carapace's mask is a hood and goggles." Alya said with a frown as she found the right color for said goggles. "I can do the goggles but that's it, not the best choice but alright I guess someone has to be him."

"No worries babe, no one can match Carapace's awesome hood." Nino said with a grin as he sat down, removed his glasses, and waited for Alya to begin her painting.

"That leaves Cat Noir for you Adrien." Alya said as she began to work on Nino. "Get comfortable pretty boy, you're next."

"Oh, I really don't want to." Adrien said, he was a little nervous to have Cat Noir's mask painted on him as it might be too similar to the real thing, other than the magical eyes his miraculous gave him.

"Please." The twins begged Adrien, giving him puppy dog eyes that he found very hard to resist.

"I could paint Queen Bee on you instead." Alya said with a wicked grin as she added the finishing touches to the painted-on goggles on Nino. "We don't have a Queen Bee here at the moment. You were Cat Noir for that Clara video so I think he suits you but I don't mind if you wish to look up to Chloe instead of Cat Noir."

"Er, Cat Noir is fine, only Chloe can pull off Queen Bee." Adrien said as he grudgingly sat down where Nino had been while Nino was running around with the twins. "Besides, Cat Noir is the coolest cat around. I wish I was him."

Alya just shook her head slightly at him as she began to apply the black paint. Fortunately, it only took a few minutes for the paint to be applied as Cat Noir's mask was just pure black.

"I can't do the eyes so you don't look that much like him but you do look a bit like him." Alya said when she was done. "Now to go and rescue either my boyfriend or little sisters from the other party."

Adrien just squirmed a little at that as Alya packed her bag and began to run after Nino and the twins. At that moment, Adrien wanted nothing to do but to get out of here and remove the mask before anyone made the connection, or Plagg saw and mercilessly made fun of him for it, but Adrien was with his friends right now. Therefore, he could hang out with them for a bit longer, what's the worst that could happen anyway?

* * *

Marinette watched from the very uncomfortable bush she had dived head first into right before Adrien and Nino were conscripted into Alya's babysitting and face painting duties. She did not want to see Adrien while looking like, well, herself but her Ladybug self. Unfortunately, the bush she had dived in had had thorns so now Marinette was sporting a few new cuts to add to her disheveled state.

As Marinette watched Alya paint the boys' faces, she noticed that Adrien did in deed look a lot like Cat Noir in the painted-on black mask. Sure he was much more handsome, and significantly less annoying, and his eyes were normal and mesmerizing, and he didn't have the cat ears on his head, but other than that Marinette could see why Alya thought that Adrien looked a little like her superhero partner at times.

That was when Marinette decided it would be best to just pretend that Adrien was in fact Cat Noir. She was wearing a Ladybug mask anyway, why not play it up? This way she might be able to actually talk to Adrien normally if she pretended he was Cat Noir and not the boy she was madly in love with. Who knows? This might lead somewhere where Marinette had always hoped it would lead.

Making her mind up, Marinette slowly and painfully extracted herself from the bush. She made a few more cuts, and very likely a twig or two in her hair, from the process but she always carried band aids with her just in case she had a clumsy moment and needed them right away.

As soon as Marinette was extricated from the bush, she made her way over to her friends. It was time for some acting, with a little Ladybug confidence thrown in for good measure.

"Well, if it isn't my fellow heroes." Marinette said, deliberately not using her Ladybug voice but portraying more confidence than normal. "All gathered for this nice picnic in the park I see."

Adrien looked over at her and his eyes went wide for a moment before he smiled, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. Alya came over just to laugh at her appearance, which Marinette knew wasn't great, before she returned to running after Nino as he continued to play with the twins.

"Ladybug, so nice of you to join us." Adrien said with a smile. "Any you look as beautiful as ever."

"Now, now, no flirting Cat Noir." Marinette admonished, only by pretending that Adrien was Cat Noir could she prevent herself from becoming a blubbering mess when Adrien called her beautiful. "I must first address my injuries from the bush akuma I just dealt with and then we can partake in the picnic that the stunning Marinette Dupain-Cheng agreed to make us."

"Well then allow me to help you, m'… I mean Ladybug." Adrien said as passed her the picnic blanket she had brought. "Is this blanket yours?"

"It is." Marinette said as she unfurled it on the ground and Adrien decided to lie down in what he thought, and what actually was, a very sexy pose.

Marinette had to turn her back to Adrien at that point. He was too good looking and playing along with her, right down to the very flirtatious nature of Cat Noir, for Marinette to keep up the act for long. Marinette needed a moment's break to apply the band aids in the pastry box she had brought, and to try and quell her rapidly beating heart and the blush that was threatening to burst out across her cheeks.

"There, all patched up kitty." Marinette said once she had finished applying the band aid. Marinette then turned back to face Adrien and on reflex flicked the imaginary bell that would have been on the real Cat Noir. "And no staring or getting ideas, you know I love someone else."

"Well he's an idiot for not seeing how amazing you are." Adrien said after a slight pause that confused Marinette but his words drove that confusion from her mind, Adrien had called her amazing!

"I just need to get …" Marinette began but as soon as she turned back for the pastries they had disappeared, the twins running away with them laughing as Alya and Nino chased after the laughing girls.

"It's ok, m'lady." Adrien said quietly from behind her causing Marinette to suddenly stiffen. "Come back to me, bugaboo, I feel like we should have a moment alone to talk anyway."

* * *

Marinette was Ladybug! Adrien had been struck by the similarity to Ladybug that Marinette had with the mask but he had brushed that off as a coincidence. Now though, there was no doubt in Adrien's mind that Marinette was Ladybug. Only ladybug was that flirtatious with Cat Noir, only Ladybug knew precisely how to flick that bell, and only Ladybug would have that kind of reaction to his flirting.

That was why Adrien had to test it. He knew that it was a risk but it would be worth it to prove his theory. There was one easy way to both confirm that Marinette was Ladybug while at the same time giving away who he was to her.

"It's ok, m'lady." Adrien said and he smiled knowing full well that he was right the moment he Marinette suddenly stiffen at the pet name, now to add another to confirm it. "Come back bugaboo, I feel like we should have a moment alone anyway."

* * *

"Kitty, the real kitty." Marinette whispered as she turned and sat down on the blanket and looked into Adrien's eyes.

Only Cat Noir, the real Cat Noir, would know to call Ladybug those two pet names and Adrien had just done so. Marinette knew that her reaction would give her away but if it did she didn't mind because it meant that Adrien was Cat Noir. That also meant that Adrien loved Ladybug who was her and she loved Adrien. Marinette had to shake her growing headache away, one reveal first, then she could confess her feelings for Adrien if she was right about him loving her regardless of the whether or not she was wearing the mask.

"The one and only, m'lady." Adrien whispered softly back confirming everything. It was all out in the open now.

"Damn Alya." Marinette muttered. "I can't believe that she caused this."

"I don't think we can truly blame her for this." Adrien said softly. "She didn't know and had you not played the part of Ladybug and mentioned things only I would know then we wouldn't have figured it out."

"I only did that because I am madly in love with you and a mess around you so when I noticed that you looked a little like Cat Noir with the mask painted on, and that I had my mask painted on, I thought that I could be more confident and normal around you if I pretended you were him and well I guess I got a little carried away with it." Marinette said in a single breath and then clapped her hands over her mouth at what she had just blurted out.

"I'm the one who you love?" Adrien asked slowly and all Marinette could do was nod, her eyes wide in horror. "And you kept rejecting me because you love me, or the other me?"

"Yes." Marinette whispered. "And to think, the love of my life loved me back and I kept rejecting him because I loved him, just not the him who openly showed his love for me."

"Makes your head hurt, doesn't it?" Adrien said with a smile that made Marinette blush as she could see the love for her in it and in Adrien's eyes.

"It does." Marinette agreed with a little nod of her head. "But it is all in the open now. What do we do now?"

"Well now I would like to do this." Adrien said as he placed a hand on Marinette's waist and pulled her close.

Marinette smiled and blushed at the same time. She knew exactly where this was going to go and couldn't believe it was about to actually happen. Not in her wildest dreams did she think that Adrien would be pulling her in for a kiss but thanks to Alya's face painting, and an accidental reveal due to them acting like themselves, Adrien was leaning in towards her. Alas, fate was not on Marinette's side today.

"Marinette where are you? We got to go." Alya called from somewhere out of sight but nearby. "Dad wants the twins home as soon as possibly."

"Coming." Marinette called back and then looked at Adrien. "We can continue this tonight on our patrol."

With that, Marinette lent forward and gave Adrien a chaste kiss on the lips, desperately wanting more but knowing that she would have to wait. Marinette then jumped up, grabbed the picnic blanket that Adrien had thankfully vacated, and ran off to find Alya, stumbling along the way.

Marinette had feared that having her face painted would cause a problem like this and yet for once, she didn't mind. She was with Adrien and all was out in the open, right now, she couldn't be more gratefully that Alya had persuaded her to have a Ladybug mask painted on her face.

* * *

Adrien smiled as he watched Marinette run off. Today had started off normally with a photo shoot that his father had organized. Then his father had let him hang out with his friend, he'd run into his other friends, and now, he had not only learned who his lady was, but that she loved him back.

Adrien's phone went off and he saw that his father wanted him home right away. Sighing, Adrien got up and walked back to his bodyguard and the car, he could clean up in it on the way home. However, all Adrien could think about was Marinette and what tonight would hold for them on their first patrol as a couple. Yes, the face painting had been totally worth it.

 **A nice, short, and sweet oneshot to enter the hiatus period. I will make up for this over Christmas and the New Year and I will try to actually write several oneshots ahead for once so I don't have to invoke a hiatus in the future. I can edit a pre written oneshot in a few hours, but usually I need a few days to go from outline to the end of the first draft. That's all for this oneshot. A** ** ** ** ** ** ** **s always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews, feel free to leave a review that is just your top 5 oneshots so far and why so I know what works and what doesn't work in this series. Until next week.**************

 ** ** ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**************


	39. Mistletoe

**Here is the 38th total and technically the 5th bonus oneshot. I'm back! Did y'all miss me? Well, the hiatus is over and just in time for Christmas so Merry Christmas y'all! It has been a month since my last update, a little longer than anticipated, but I am breaking this hiatus with a present for y'all to make up for my long break. My present to y'all is 12 days of Christmas. That means that for the next 12 days I will upload 12 oneshots, one a day, culminating in a special bonus oneshot in 12 days time to cap off this binge, a task that will likely make this series my longest by word count, and definitely longest by chapter count, the longest story I have ever written on this site. All but 4 are suggested oneshots though they are going to be a little out of order of suggestion (though 8 of the 9 were suggested within this period chronologically). This will hopefully be the only time I do this but it is a requirement given the challenge I have set myself so I have to stick to shorter Basic and Standard Class oneshots in order to succeed in this challenge. Only one oneshot that isn't a bonus one that was suggested chronologically in this period but will have to wait until around January 12th was pushed back because it is expected to rival 'Trickster' for longest oneshot of all time and therefore too long to write during this oneshot blitz. Anyway, t** ** **hat is all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series and my return from hiatus, Mistletoe.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Mistletoe** **\- It's Christmas time, everyone's favorite time of the year in Paris, and Marinette is looking forward to her usual tradition, going to the Children's ward in the hospital as Ladybug, alongside Cat Noir, to cheer up the kids in hospital over Christmas. However, after a Christmas Eve akuma attack and a desperate hiding spot for Marinette, a Christmas miracle happens; Marinette sees Cat Noir transform. The miracle is that the man under Cat Noir is Adrien Agreste, Marinette's love. Torn with what to do, Marinette comes up with a plan to finally confess her love for Adrien, ensure that he is with her, and reveal her secret all in one moment. All Marinette needs is a little Christmas magic, and a sprig of mistletoe.**

* * *

 **Mistletoe**

Marinette swore as she ran to the edge of the rooftop and leapt off it and into the alley below her, a shade slower than usual. Her earrings were beeping furiously and Marinette knew that she had seconds left before she transformed back to normal. There was no other place for that transformation, it had to be the snowbank in the alley she had just jumped into.

It was Christmas Eve and she and Cat Noir had just finished defeating a nearby akuma. Some stressed out reveler had allowed holiday stress to get too much, lashed out when the final straw was broken, and had been akumatized. It was a standard fight that was over quickly, a good thing as Marinette wanted to spend the evening with her family as she always did on Christmas Eve.

During the fight Marinette had been forced to use her Lucky Charm first and as such she had been forced to leave the scene first. This had left Cat Noir to clear up the last few things while she made her way to a place where she could safely transform.

The only problem with that had been her speed. Marinette had been a shade slower than usual. Not just as she ran away, but during the fight itself. She had also felt more tired than usual. Nothing that didn't cause a problem, half the time she fought an akuma she was exhausted, but this was more like the cold had been sapping her strength for some reason, not a lack of sleep tiredness.

Still, she had gotten the job done though she had taken a painful shot from the akuma, hence why she used her Lucky Charm so early. Her fatigue and the fight after she had used her power meant that Marinette was not going to make it home in time before her transformation fell, so Marinette did the next best thing. She had jumped off a building, into an alley, and right into a large snowbank that had built up there just as she transformed back into her civilian attire, sending Tikki face first, and a few inches deep, into the snow with an indignant huff from her kwami.

Naturally, as soon as her transformation fell and the magic of the suit disappeared, Marinette felt very cold. Given the fact that she had dived head first into a large snowbank and was now buried in the power, Marinette couldn't really complain about the cold. The snow had gotten everywhere, including places that Marinette did not want to think about at the moment, and it made her shiver from the excessive cold.

Looking around, after she got her bearings and made sure that she wasn't stuck, Marinette found Tikki, fast asleep, and gently put the kwami in her purse. At least one of them would be warm when they got home.

Tikki must have been exhausted after the fight and the fact that the little kwami had been helping Marinette bake, sow, and wrap Christmas presents all day likely also played a part in the kwami's tiredness. Marinette agreed with her sleeping kwami, all she wanted to do right now was go home, have a cup of hit chocolate and a fresh croissant with her family, and go to sleep, in the morning it would be Christmas.

Marinette was about to begin the long, cold, and possibly painful given her clumsiness, process of extricating herself from the snowbank when she heard a swooping sound, followed but the crunch of a person landing on the snow deeper in the alley. Marinette froze, both figuratively and literally in some places given where the snow had begun to reach. She couldn't think why someone had decided to jump into the alley at this particular moment, but she knew that it wasn't good. Acting on instinct, Marinette dived down into the snow again and hid herself as best she could, ignoring the bone deep cold she was feeling from it. That was when she heard the voice.

"Plagg, claws in." Came the tired voice of Cat Noir, followed by a flash of green light as he transformed back into his civilian form, something Marinette wasn't supposed to see.

Marinette wanted to close her eyes so that she wouldn't know who Cat Noir was under his mask but she didn't have time. Before she could, he ran out of the alley, right in front of her open eyes, and onto the street, looking around before heading in a direction that Marinette couldn't see.

Regardless, that was enough for her get a good look at him and see who he was. He was the most recognizable person in the world to Marinette for the person who had just run out of the alley, who was Cat Noir, was the person who she was deeply in love with, Adrien Agreste.

Marinette had no idea what to do now that she knew the truth. First things first, she had to get out of the snowbank she was in and get home, then she had to figure out what to do about the fact that the boy she was in love with was in fact her flirtatious akuma fighting partner as well.

The process of getting out of the snowbank was, well, a process. It took Marinette a good ten minutes, two face-plants into the snow and an ass plant from the ice in the alley, and snow getting deeper into places that Marinette did not want to think about before she got completely out of the snow.

By the time Marinette was free, she was cold, miserable, and tired. All she wanted to do was get home, explain that she had been out to get a few last-minute things for her friends, have a warm cup of hot chocolate and some fresh pastries with her parents, and then go to bed.

However, there were a few things that she had to think about on her walk home and they all had to do with Adrien. Well, Adrien and Cat Noir. Marinette didn't really know what to do about it. This revelation meant that she would now be around her crush during akuma battles, something that might make her hesitate and do something wrong which could have disastrous consequences for both of them personally, and the city of Paris in general and Marinette couldn't afford to be hesitant when she was fighting an akuma.

Then there was the fact that despite her constant rejections, Cat Noir was in love with Ladybug. How was she going to handle his flirting and asking her out when she loved him but couldn't tell him that she knew that he was Adrien and that it was Adrien who she loved. All of this was giving Marinette a splitting headache that she did not need right now. It was going to be a nightmare, and they had to meet up tomorrow evening for their annual trip to the children's hospital. That could get awkward.

Marinette wasn't sure if it was because of the complicated thoughts in her head, or the fact that she had been so distracted that she slipped on a patch of ice and fortunately went head first into a different snowbank, but suddenly it hit her. Adrien loved her back. Admittedly he loved Ladybug because that was who Cat Noir loved but still, he loved at least some part of her and that was enough for Marinette.

It was a complicated reason for their love for one another, one that made Marinette's head hurt even more when she thought about it for too long, but it was there. Now all she had to do was come up with a plan to tell him that she loved him back, that she knew who he was, and to tell him who she was as well. No small task in deed.

The last part was because she knew who Adrien was, it was only right that he know who she was so that he could see the girl he loved without her mask. True it was risky, but Marinette wanted to make sure that Adrien loved all of her and not just the Ladybug part of her. It would also mean that they knew each other's secret identities but that was another risk that Marinette was going to have to take. What she needed was a plan for how to implement all of it.

She wasn't sure if it was because she saw the perfect piece to her plan hanging outside her family's bakery as she got home, or because it had been forming all the way home, but as she reached her house, Marinette had an idea. It was crazy but it was a good one, one that she could implement tomorrow after they saw the kids and that would hopefully tell Adrien everything that he needed to know.

With her plan in mind, Marinette smiled and went inside. It was time for some quiet, family time with hot chocolate and then bed. Tomorrow was Christmas and there was one present she was really looking forward to giving, her love to Adrien.

* * *

Marinette met Cat Noir atop the hospital the next evening with a smile on her face. It was Christmas, one of Marinette's favorite times of the year. The morning had been for family, the afternoon for friends, though Adrien hadn't been allowed to join them which was for the best given what Marinette had planned for later but still unfortunate at the time, and now it was time for the children of Paris.

She and Cat Noir had already exchanged small gifts the night before during their akuma interrupted patrol, it was part of their yearly tradition. Now it was time to give back to the city that they protected and to make those kids stuck in hospital over Christmas have a special time as well by visiting them today.

"Shall we proceed, m'lady." Cat Noir, Adrien, said with a smile and a bow as he landed on the hospital's roof, for once arriving after her. Marinette had to fight a blush and her usual incoherent babble around Adrien.

"We shall." Marinette replied not looking at him as she walked over to the service door on the roof that they used. "Everything should be ready for us once we get inside. They know the drill by now and the kids are expecting us."

"This is one of my favorite times of the year." Cat Noir said as they went to the door and began to walk down the stairs. "A chance to make people's Christmas as good as possible and give back to our city."

"True, but it is game time kitty." Marinette said with a smile of her own as the reached the top floor of the hospital. "We have kids to see, presents to hand out, and lives to brighten on this wondrous day."

"That we do, bugaboo, that we do." Cat Noir replied and Marinette sighed at his rhyme but blushed again at the pet name he used for her.

Now however, was not the time to be thinking about Adrien being Cat Noir or anything like that. No, now was time for the kids of Paris.

* * *

"Cat Noir, can you tell us about the time you dueled Darkblade?" One of the boys in the last kids ward, an all-boys ward of kids who were only in the hospital for a short period but unlucky enough to be here over Christmas, asked as he and his friends brandished the sturdy plastic swords that they had been given.

"Not only shall I tell you about it, but I will show you all a few moves I know." Cat Noir said with a smile as he extended his baton and flourished it for the kids.

This was the last ward they had to see and of course the all-boys ward wanted Cat Noir to explain fighting to them. Marinette had done so in the all-girls wards as well, as well as giving them fashion tips that they pestered her about, but this was something that Cat Noir was an expert on, both as Cat Noir and as Adrien, and Marinette needed a little time to set up her other present to him.

"Go ahead kitty, I will wait for you on the roof to say goodnight." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled back at her.

"Thanks." Cat Noir replied before turning back to his audience. "Right so there I was, all alone, me against Darkblade and all of his zombie knights…"

Marinette had to suppress a chuckle as she left Adrien to his story and fencing and went up to the roof, taking her time so that there wasn't that much of a time gap between them. She had to use her Lucky Charm after all and she wanted to make sure her time out was after Adrien had come up as well, and after they had talked.

When she got to the roof, Marinette smiled as the snow had begun to lightly fall and between the snow, the lights, and the stars, Paris looked beautiful at the moment. It was as romantic as Marinette had hoped it would be. It would make the night even better if all went as she hoped.

Once she had taken in the view, Marinette went over to where she had stored the surprise before Cat Noir had arrived. She was pleased that everything was still there and still in one piece. She had to guess the time but if her luck held out then Adrien would be up in a minute or two. That meant that it was time.

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette called throwing her yo-yo into the air.

At once a large, ladybug print, item fell down and into her hands, it was exactly what she needed. It only took a moment to set it up and realize that there was a second function to what Marinette had been given. Her Lucky Charm had really paid off.

With everything set up, Marinette took her position facing the door and waited for Adrien, her heart beating furiously but she knew that she couldn't back out now, it was now or never and Marinette wasn't going to back down this time. Soon Adrien would be here and soon Marinette would make her confessions.

* * *

Adrien walked up to the roof a smile on his face. Christmas at home was hard without his mother but in recent years, after the Santa Claws incident, his father had lightened up a little around Christmas. Still, this was the part of Christmas that Adrien really liked, bringing joy to kids stuck in hospital over the holidays. Their happiness brought joy to his heart and Adrien knew that life was good in these precious moments.

Now he was going to the roof to see his lady, his love, wish her a merry Christmas, probably ask her out again, and then go home happy that he had had a good Christmas. That all changed as soon as he opened the door to the roof and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight, and the sound, that greeted him on the rooftop.

What Adrien heard was a song in English that he recognized as 'Kissin' under the Mistletoe' playing softly across the roof, just loud enough for him to hear it. That alone was odd but where it was coming from was even odder.

It was coming from what looked like a tall stand with a small speaker on top that was facing the door. Hanging under the speaker was a sprig of mistletoe that fluttered slightly in the little wind and snow that was falling. Underneath it wall was something that took Adrien's breath away in the cold night air.

Standing there, a small smile on her face, and holding a red rose in her hands was none other than Ladybug. She had clearly been waiting for him and the fact that everything but the rose and mistletoe had a ladybug print on it told Adrien that she had used her Lucky Charm to create it.

"M'lady, what is all this? Adrien asked as he slowly walked forward towards her, letting the door close behind him.

"This is my other present for you." Ladybug said not moving at all so that she was still under the mistletoe.

"But, but why?" Adrien asked confused. "I, I thought you loved someone else. Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased to see this but I thought that I would have to keep trying to woe you."

"Yes, well, something has changed." Ladybug said with a smile. "I will explain later but I wanted to do this first. I am ready to give you a chance romantically, but on one condition."

"Name it." Adrien said at once. It was taking all his willpower not to rush over to Ladybug and scoop her up in his arms but something in the back of his mind told him to be cautious, take this slow, and do it right.

"That when we share our first kiss, underneath this mistletoe, we don't stop or look at one another until both our miraculouses have timed out." Ladybug said and Adrien knew he had been right to go slow.

"Are, are you sure?" Adrien asked seriously, everything he had been hoping for and dreaming about was happening so fast that he didn't want to do anything to ruin it. "I know that you are hesitant about that."

"I was but now that I realized that I like you back, I am ready to tell you who I am so long as you are ready to show me who you are as well." Ladybug said with a small smile on her face and nothing but love in her eyes.

"I am bugaboo." Adrien said smiling back. "I have been ready for a long time."

"Good then use your cataclysm and come over and kiss me kitty." Ladybug said, her smile widening.

"With pleasure." Adrien said before raising his hand and speaking his power's activation word. "Cataclysm."

As soon as his hand was glowing with destructive black energy, Adrien looked around. Noticing a large snow pile right on top of what looked like a crucial generator, he walked over to it. Placing his hand carefully on the snow, Adrien destroyed the snow, freed up the generator and hopefully prevented it from breaking under the weight of the snow. Judging by the lack of any emergency sounds, he had been right.

With that done, Adrien walked over to Ladybug, and making sure that they were still under the mistletoe, pulled her close to him. Instinctively Ladybug's arms went around his neck as he lowered his head to hers and captured her lips with his at last.

The kiss was long, slow, and more romantic then Adrien would have thought possible. He could feel Ladybug pouring her love for him into it and he reciprocated it with hos own love for her. There was something that she wasn't telling him but that could wait, right now Adrien was lost in the moment.

Adrien didn't know how long they had been kissing when he heard Ladybug's earrings time out and felt her return to civilian form. He resisted the urge to look and continued the kiss until he heard the final time out of his ring. He felt his transformation fall and as soon as it was gone he slowly, reluctantly, broke off the kiss.

Adrien opened his eyes and stared at his lady as her bluebell eyes met his, a smile on her face. Adrien hadn't expected to see the person in front of him but he knew that he loved her with all his heart. However, in that moment, the only thing he could say was her name.

"Marinette."

"Merry Christmas Adrien." Marinette replied and then kissed him again.

Once more Adrien was lost in the kiss underneath the mistletoe as the snow lightly fell around them and another Christmas came to an end. Adrien had just received the best present of his life, it truly had been a perfect, wonderful, Christmas.

 **A nice, short, and sweet oneshot to end my month long hiatus. Most of the oneshots in this 12 days of Christmas special (though only this one is Christmas themed hence why it is first and a bonus one at that) will be shorter ones, though at least 2 should be Complex Class based on my outlines (those 2 will come in early January when I have the time to churn out 8k words in a day). The next one in this special oneshot blitz will come out sometime on the 26th, timings will vary day to day but they will be at some point during the fanfiction day EST.** **A** ** ** ** ** ** ** **s always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews, do feel free to leave a review that is just your top 5 oneshots so far and why so I know what works and what doesn't work in this series. It's good to be back y'all! Until tomorrow.**************

 ** ** ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**************


	40. Needle

**Here is the 40th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the second day of Christmas oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas blitz and is one of the many oneshots suggested by the same follower who has suggested a majority of oneshots in this series, and the first of six oneshots in the 12 days series that the follower suggested, excluding the bonus oneshot consultation at the end. As with the majority of the oneshots in this blitz, this is another short and sweet one due to the time it takes to write and edit these oneshots.** ** **That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Needle.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Needle** **\- Adrien is preparing for a photo shoot but just before he accidentally rips his jacket, much to Plagg's irritation. Deciding to get Marinette to fix it for him using her sowing skills after the photo shoot, Adrien continues to get ready. Unfortunately, he is interrupted by an akuma attack that he has to deal with. Thankfully however, the akuma is easy to deal with and he is able to go to Marinette's in the confusing aftermath of the attack. On the way he runs into Ladybug who uses her Lucky Charm to help fix his jacket. A harmless act, right?  
**

* * *

 **Needle**

Adrien walked through the park mentally preparing himself for the upcoming photo shoot. He always took a few moments before a shoot to calm himself and get in the zone for the shoot, it produced the best pictures and made his father happy with the results. With his mind in the right place, Adrien made his way through all the equipment and to where the photographer wanted him for the shoot.

He was so focused on where he was going that Adrien didn't notice the slightly broken trunk he passed until he heard a ripping sound on his left-hand side. Looking down, Adrien groaned. He had snagged his jacket on a piece of broken metal off the trunk and ripped it open.

It also happened to be the exact place where Plagg's pocket was and the kwami was glaring at him, though Adrien had a feeling it had more to do with the piece of Camembert on the end of the broken metal that had been ripped out of the kwami's paws then the possible exposure of his kwami. Still glaring, Plagg flew to the other pocket had Adrien heard him let out a loud huff at the loss of his cheese.

Adrien shook his head at his kwami's antics and inspected the damage he had just done to his jacket. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. A pretty clean rip all things considered and one that could easily be fixed, by someone with the skills that Adrien did not have. Luckily for him, they were in the park near the Dupain-Cheng bakery and Adrien knew that Marinette had the skills to fix his jacket in a heartbeat. He didn't need it for the photo shoot so he would take it off now and then afterwards go and see Marinette to get it fixed.

With his plan in mind, Adrien continued towards the set for his shoot. He didn't make it. As was to be expected these days in Paris, an akuma came out of nowhere and attacked the park, ruining the photo shoot and causing a general panic amongst everyone in the park. Still, Adrien welcomed the distraction and fun of an akuma fight so he quickly ran off to find a place behind the equipment to transform.

"Come on Plagg, it's time to get to work." Adrien whispered once he had found a place to hide while everyone else ran from the akuma.

"Not until you promise me more cheese once this is done." Plagg said closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "That was my last piece of my gooeyness and you carelessly took it from me."

"I also ripped my jacket." Adrien said indignantly. "And this is my favorite jacket."

"Yes, well you can fix that, my stomach is another matter." Plagg said and his stomach growled as if to make a point on its own, Adrien sighed at the fact that both Plagg and his stomach were ganging up on him now. "It needs fixing now."

"You know I don't need your permission to transform, right?" Adrien pointed out.

"True but if you want a happy kwami later you will make sure I have cheese later." Plagg said opening one eye slightly to look at him as an explosion from the akuma nearby brought the urgency back to the situation.

"Fine, I have to go see Marinette and get my jacket fixed afterwards anyway." Adrien said with an exasperated sigh. "We can get you some cheese and sourdough bread while we are at her family's bakery. I know you like how her family bakes it just to your liking."

"Now that is more like it." Plagg said opening his eyes and smiling at Adrien. "Good to see you have your priorities straight regarding your kwami in mind. Now what are you waiting for, transform already!"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said trying not to shake his head as he was once again transformed into Cat Noir. It was time to fight another akuma.

* * *

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said as he dived behind some of the equipment being used for the photo shoot.

The akuma had been easier than usual, an oddity for Hawk Moth given that he had been trying to create harder and harder ones for them to face recently. This time however, while Adrien had used his Cataclysm, Ladybug hadn't needed to use her Lucky Charm, a first for them. As such, Ladybug had been able to stay behind afterwards to great people while he dashed off to go and transform back to civilian form.

Adrien was planning on using the post akuma confusion and celebration to head over to Marinette's and have her fix his jacket. It wouldn't take long for her to do so, providing she had the right color thread to mend it, so Adrien should be back to the shoot before anyone realized that he was gone. It would take the shoot coordinator time to get everything under control in the aftermath of an akuma attack after all.

The park was near Marinette's family's bakery so it didn't take him long to get there. He hoped that Marinette was working in the bakery when he arrived so that he could get this sorted out quickly. As much as Adrien liked spending time with his friend, he did have a photo shoot to be at and he couldn't be absent for too long in the post akuma aftermath or else someone might worry about him and that could lead to a loss of freedoms that he had worked so hard to earn.

Of course, his plans went out the window the moment he passed an alley behind Marinette's place and ran right into someone who had taken that moment to land right in front of him. There was an indignant shriek and next thing Adrien knew, he had fallen over and was lying on the sidewalk tangled with a red suited person with black spots.

It didn't take a lot of guesswork for Adrien to realize that he had accidentally walked into Ladybug. What his lady was doing here after the akuma attack was beyond him, but Adrien wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to spend a little more time with the love of his life.

"Sorry m'la… I mean sorry Ladybug." Adrien said sheepishly hoping his blush wasn't showing as he got up and helped his akuma fighting partner to her feet.

"It's ok, it, it all the time happens, I mean it happens all the time." Ladybug said as Adrien helped her up and she noticed who had helped her.

She seemed flustered for some reason though Adrien wasn't sure why given his lady's usual unflappable confidence. However, she was still holding his hand and seemed to be as reluctant to let it go as he was.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Adrien said as he reluctantly let go of Ladybug's hand. "Was kind of focused on where I was heading."

"Oh, and where might that be?" Ladybug asked regaining her usual composure around him so Adrien chalked up the early incident to her being surprised by him walking into her.

"I was looking for my friend Marinette." Adrien admitted. "She lives her and I could use her help."

"That's right, I know her vaguely, she lives in the bakery, right?" Ladybug said a little quicker than usual as she gestured to the bakery behind her. "Saved her and her a family a few times if I recall correctly."

"I, I wouldn't know." Adrien said quickly so as to no let Ladybug know that he knew the precise number of times they had saved Marinette and/or her family. "I just needed her help and expertise, that's all."

"Really? What with?" Ladybug asked, more curious than Adrien would have expected from her.

"Well I was at a photo shoot earlier and I, er, caught my jacket on something and ripped it." Adrien admitted with a hint of embarrassment at telling his crush why he was here and what he had done but she had asked. He proceeded to show her the rip on his jacket though to emphasis why he was here. "So, after you and Cat Noir saved Paris from the latest akuma, I decided to come here for Marinette's help in repairing it while they reset the shoot I was at. She is one of the best fashion designers and creators I know so I trust her to make the repairs to this jacket. It is my favorite one after all so I would only entrust its repair to someone I know."

"Oh, Marinette awesome is, I mean yeah she is pretty good at fashion, or so I've heard." Ladybug stumbled out blushing for some reason. Ladybug wasn't acting in her usual confident way, which was odd, but Adrien decided that she must be a little tired after fighting the recent akuma and that was causing her to be a little distracted at the moment.

Adrien wasn't sure how Ladybug knew that Marinette was gifted when it came down to fashion but given the fact that they had saved just about everyone in Adrien's class, he wasn't surprised that Ladybug knew about Marinette's passion. After all, he had learned about some of his other friends' passions from saving them as Cat Noir, so Adrien chalked this up to Ladybug figuring this out from one of the times that had interacted with Marinette or her family, likely the Troublemaker incident that took place partially in Marinette's room, which clearly showed how passionate Marinette was for fashion.

"Yeah, she is pretty good at it." Adrien admitted. "Hence why I am here."

"Well if you want, I could take a look at it." Ladybug offered after a moment's hesitation. "I'm pretty handy with a needle and thread as well, and I haven't used my Lucky Charm yet so I could see if it will give it to me and then I could try to mend your jacket for you. My power gives me what I best need in any given situation and right now a needle and thread is what I would need to fix that rip in your jacket. That is if you want me to help."

"You would do that for me?" Adrien asked amazed. He hadn't thought about Ladybug being the one to fix it but he certainly would accept her help if she was offering it.

"I'd do anything for you, I mean I am always willing to help the people of Paris in any way I can." Ladybug said quickly. "Couldn't hurt to try after all. Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug finished her suggestion with a use of her power. Adrien just watched as she did it waiting to see the results. A moment later the power ended and Ladybug was holding a ladybug print sowing needle and a role of red and black thread.

"Looks like my power did want me to help you, it does work in mysterious ways." Ladybug said with a smile.

"Yes, it does." Adrien agreed as he took off his jacket and handed it to her, hoping that Plagg had the sense hide somewhere else and not give himself away while Ladybug worked.

Ladybug ignored him for a moment as she took the jacket and got down to work. Adrien had to admit, he was impressed with her ability to sow. Ladybug quickly accessed the damage to the jacket, found the best place to begin sowing and got to work.

She was quick, efficient and professional with the needle and thread, as if she knew precisely what she was doing and how to do it, something Adrien was hopeless at. Adrien also knew that she only had a few minutes to work before her power timed out so she had to work fast but that didn't stop Ladybug from doing a good job. In minutes she was done when she tied off the thread and had handed his jacket back to him with a smile.

"There, good as new, though I'm not sure how to explain the red and black thread." Ladybug said happily.

"Don't worry, I will think of a way." Adrien said gratefully as he took back his jacket and inspected Ladybug's handiwork. It was good, very good, as good as Marinette could have done it in Adrien's mind.

"This is really good work." Adrien complimented Ladybug absentmindedly as he continued to look over the precise stitching Ladybug had used. "As good as Marinette could have done and that's saying something, she's a great fashion designer and creator, better than my father if I'm being honest but she does know what our age group wants better than he does."

Adrien had been too busy inspecting the jacket to realize that his words were causing Ladybug to blush as red as her suit, go rigid, and to get very flustered from the compliment. Had he done so, Adrien might have realized the truth but he was to oblivious to this to notice. What he did notice, and what Ladybug didn't in her current near euphoric state from Adrien's compliment, was the sharp beeping of her miraculous signaling that she was about to time out.

"M'lady, your miraculous!" Adrien exclaimed knowing that they weren't in a private enough place for her to safely transform.

Acting on instinct, Adrien grabbed her and pulled her into the alley they were outside of and down behind a pile of trash, covering her body with his to shield her transformation. She had to protect her secret identity.

"Wha?" was all Ladybug was able to get out before her transformation occurred.

Unfortunately, the noise she made caused Adrien to instinctively look down before he knew better and saw the unmasked face of his lady. This had not been how Adrien had expected to find out, especially not looking down at the wide, shocked expression on her face.

"Er, hi Marinette." Adrien said sheepishly as he looked down on his friend beneath him, a friend who moments before had been Ladybug.

* * *

Marinette had been so focused on the work that she had been doing that she hadn't noticed her miraculous was about to time out. She had a tendency to get distracted by Adrien's mere presence. Helping him had been distraction enough but the compliment had pushed her over the edge and addled her mind out of joy and love at Adrien's words, even if he didn't know that they were about her.

That was why she hadn't heard them about to go off or Adrien's warning about her miraculous, something he shouldn't know about. It wasn't until Adrien had grabbed her, pulled her into the alley, and tackled her behind a pile of trash and dived on top of her, the last thing something Marinette didn't mind at all, that she realized something was up. All she could do was give a confused exclamation at everything that was suddenly happening to her.

By that point it was too late. Her miraculous timed out, Tikki shot out and into the alley and she stared in horror up and into Adrien's green eyes as he looked down on her, an embarrassed and sorry look on his face.

"Er, hi Marinette." Adrien said in a sheepish voice.

Marinette had no idea what to say. Fortunately, she didn't have to say anything as a moment later the awkward silence was broken by a string of very inventive and impressive curses.

"You just had to rip the pocket that I stay in didn't you." The voice, one Marinette had heard before but in her current state of shock couldn't quite place, was saying. "And then you had to give me over to Ladybug without warning so I had to find a new place to hide. Thus, when you tackled her for whatever reason, I flew out and into a pile of trash, which admittedly smells better than your socks usually do so I'm not complaining about that part."

"Er, Plagg, kinda got another problem here." Adrien said, the name bringing Marinette back to reality as she turned her head to see Cat Noir's kwami floating in the air, his paws crossed, a banana peel on his head and an indignant look on his face.

"What could be bigger than you throwing me into a trash bag.?" The kwami huffed before looking over at her. "Oh, hi Marinette, I'll chat with you in one sec."

The kwami then turned back to Adrien and continued berating him. Clearly Plagg hadn't figured out the full weight of what was going on.

"I am the most important thing in your life boy, you do not treat me like trash." Plagg continued. "I have already lost my cheese because you ripped the jacket and now … wait, Marinette what are you doing here, where's Ladybug, Tikki, oh merde, not again."

"As I said, bigger problems." Adrien pointed out as he got off Marinette, much to her own reluctance, helped her to her feet and then removed the banana peel that was still on Plagg's head.

"Yeah, I'd say these are bigger, not as big as I have faced but then again I have caused numerous earthquakes in the past." Plagg said as Tikki flew up to join them, a reproachful look on her face at the scene in front of her. "Guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?"

"Yeah you could say that." Adrien said with a sigh. "Sorry Marinette, I know that this isn't how you wanted to find out."

"No but you have to admit, it is pretty funny." Marinette said with a little laugh as the full weight of the situation and how it came to be finally settled on her. "All this because you ripped your jacket and I didn't use my Lucky Charm during that akuma take down."

"Yeah, it is pretty funny when you think about it." Adrien said with a shy smile at her. "But I do have a photo shoot to return to, the distraction of the akuma will have passed by now and they will likely be looking for me by this point."

"Yeah and I still need to help my parents." Marinette agreed. "They like it when I check in with them after an attack, just to make sure that I am safe. We should talk more about this tonight on patrol."

"Definitely." Adrien said as he opened his jacket so Plagg could fly back into the mended portion. "Until tonight, m'lady."

"Until tonight kitty." Marinette agreed as Adrien gave her a smile and then ran off towards the park.

Marinette hoped that he wouldn't be in trouble because of being late and frankly smelling of trash, she would need a shower as well, but she also had other things to mull over first. Adrien was Cat Noir and that meant a lot more than Marinette could process at the moment. All she could do was head home, shower, think about this, and to see what the night would bring. Hopefully it would bring what she had always wanted, but only time would tell if she was correct.

* * *

Adrien hurried back to the photo shoot as fast as he could. He had finally learned who his lady, his love was, and it was someone he had not been expecting. Still, it was good to finally know who she was, the revelation would be on his mind all afternoon while he worked.

All Adrien could think about was Marinette, Ladybug, and everything the revelation that his torn jacket and her needle and thread had cause, meant. He couldn't wait to see her again tonight, hopefully all would go as he hoped it would but as with everything, only time would tell and Adrien would have to wait patiently to see what time brought him tonight.

 **Another short and sweet, though less romantic, oneshot for the second in my 12 days special. The next few will all be in this 3-5k word range as I don't have time to write longer ones but it does mean that I will be successful in churning out a oneshot a day for y'all over this 12 day period. That is all for this post chapter note, a** ** ** ** ** **s always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews so that I know what does and doesn't work with these oneshots. Until tomorrow.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	41. Zoo

**Here is the 41st total and technically the 6th bonus oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Initially this and one other bonus oneshot were planned to make up for my hiatus but in the end I decided on the 12 days idea instead so this became the 3rd one in that chain instead due to its length. This will likely be the shortest oneshot I ever write as it doesn't need much to it but it does give me a oneshot that starts with Z and I am trying to get every letter of the alphabet.** ** **That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Zoo.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Zoo** **\- It's field trip time and the students of Ms. Bustier's class are heading to the Paris Zoo for their field trip. Part of the trip includes some free time for the students to look at the animals themselves so that they can write an assignment on one of them. Because they are at the zoo, Alya and Nino want some alone time because their relationship began at the zoo. This leaves Marinette alone with Adrien. Everything is going well until an akuma attacks the zoo, while Marinette and Adrien are in one of the indoor exhibits. Locked in a room with an akuma on the outside, what will our heroes do?  
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* * *

 **Zoo**

It may have been a school day, but today was a field trip day which meant no class, though there was still learning to be done. Marinette was fine with that as it meant getting out of the classroom, spending time with her friends, and learning something particular while outside on a nice day. Today's field trip was extra special as it was hosted by Alya's father. Today they were at the Paris Zoo.

Alya, her father, and Ms. Bustier had been working on the field trip for a while now and today was the result of all that work. Instead of a normal Friday at school, the class went to the zoo for the day as part of their biology coursework. During the morning they were all with Alya's father as he taught them about the various animals that the zoo had, their natural habitats, main foods, biology, physiology, prevalence in the wild, etc. This had been the educational part, the part needed to justify the school trip. It had been fun but Marinette was more excited for what happened after lunch.

After lunch, which they all had together while Ms. Bustier tested them on what they learned so far on the trip, the students would be given the afternoon off to see the zoo and look at the creatures that were housed there. However, as it was a school trip, they did have to take notes so that they could write a report over the weekend on their favorite animal, that animal's natural habitat, food source, care, where to find it in the wild, its status on the endangered spectrum, conservation efforts and all that they could learn about it from the zoo and their own research. Marinette had no idea which animal she was going to write about, all she knew was that it meant an afternoon of her, Alya, Adrien and Nino wandering around the zoo and relaxing together for once while also not being at school.

Of course, Alya had other ideas. In hindsight Marinette should have seen it coming but she had been too distracted being with Adrien to pay attention and though it would work out in the long run, it was still something that had unintended consequences for both her and Adrien that they would feel in the days to come.

"Right, I think I am going to do my report on the panther here." Alya announced shortly after lunch as they all began to walk deeper into the zoo now that Ms. Bustier had released them for the afternoon. "It is my father's favorite here and he knows everything about it so my assignment will be very straightforward."

"I'm down to see it but we have to go see the turtles afterwards." Nino agreed. "I'm doing mine on them. I've started to really admire turtles."

"Of course because turtles are special to you, just like with foxes for me, but the panther is something special to us." Alya said getting close to Nino in a way that Marinette wished she could with Adrien while Nino just smiled at his girlfriend and Marinette had to avoid reacting at what the couple was insinuating regarding the miraculouses they occasionally wielded. "It is where we realized that we liked each other, remember. Same day that my dad was akumatized and we got trapped in the panther habitat. Hence why we are going there first."

"Oh, yes true." Nino said with a smile. "I remember that day, one of the best days of our lives."

"Good, because we are going to go and reminisce, alone." Alya said looking pointedly at Marinette to tell that this was also a chance for her to spend some alone time with Adrien and that Marinette needed to make the most of it.

"What? Oh yeah, alone." Nino said realizing what Alya wanted. "Sorry dudes, gotta do what the lady says."

"No sweat Nino, Marinette and I will go off on our own way." Adrien said with a smile and a clap on his best friend's back as Marinette's heart began to race at the thought of being alone with Adrien in the zoo as if they were on a date together. "I'd like to check out the other big cats they have here at some point but after the Animan incident I am not too keen on panthers at the moment."

"Yeah too me." Marinette mumbled still trying to get her head around the fact that she was going to be alone with Adrien for a few hours. "Fun have, two you."

"Oh, we will." Alya said with a wink clearly able to understand Marinette's incoherent speech. "We will meet you back here in say 2 hours, that should be enough time, right Marinette?"

"2 hours it is." Adrien said with a nod, completely oblivious to the blush that spread across Marinette's face as she seized up at what Alya was saying. "See you two then."

"Right, yeah, then, see, too, you, what?" Marinette said still unable to form a full sentence as Alya and Nino left them, holding hands as they walked towards the panther exhibit.

"So, Marinette, where do you want to go?" Adrien asked once they were alone, breaking Marinette out of her stupor only to realize that she was once again alone with Adrien.

"Er, I dunno, anywhere is good so long as I am with you, I mean anywhere is good." Marinette said cursing herself for her usual tongue-tied problem around her crush. "I don't know what I want to do my assignment in just yet so we could just wander and see what there is."

"Sounds good to me." Adrien said flashing her a dazzling smile that made her blush as they walked off in a direction other than the one Nino and Alya had walked in. "I don't know what I want to do my assignment on either."

For the next half an hour or so Marinette wandered around the zoo with Adrien. At first she was her usual awkward self around him but as the day wore on, Marinette found her confidence around Adrien. This often happened when she was alone with Adrien for an extended period of time. At first it would be awkward, she would be more clumsy than usual, blush at everything, trip over her words as much as her feet, and generally embarrass herself in front of him while Adrien seemed to not notice and continued to be his usual sweet self to her. However, after the initial awkwardness, it always got better as she got more relaxed around him, it was getting over that initial hump that was the hard part for Marinette, once she was over it it tended to be relatively smooth sailing from that point on.

They had started with the canines as they had been the nearest habitats to where they parted ways with Alya and Nino. However, after the wolves, coyotes, foxes, hyenas and other animals in the dog family all seemed to take particular umbrage with Adrien for some reason, unbeknownst to both of them was the fact that Plagg was taunting the dog relatives from underneath Adrien's jacket, they decided to head to a different exhibit.

After the canines, they went to the large rodents section, which Marinette liked as the animals, mostly American large rodents, were pretty cute. However, again some of the rodents seemed to not like Adrien for some reason. The raccoons were particularly unhappy with him and growled at them as they passed the raccoon habitat and they had to run after one of the skunks decided to try and spray them, fortunately the glass of the exhibit protected them but the smell would linger in that area of the zoo for a while. Again, neither noticed that it was Plagg causing the ruckus or why the kwami felt it necessary to provoke the animals. All they knew was that the animals didn't seem to like them so they hurried on to another exhibit.

As it was starting to heat up and they had had a few problems with the larger habitats, they decided to go to one of the indoor exhibits which would be smaller, cooler and less likely to have animals that seemed to not like Adrien, not that Adrien minded as he found the animals acting up pretty interesting. After trying the aviary and deciding they didn't like it, and then going to the butterfly habitat and getting accosted by a kaleidoscope of angry butterflies and moths for no apparent reason, they ended up in of all places the small indoor section that housed reptiles and rare, large, insects.

Marinette wasn't sure how she felt about this section. True her superpower was based off a Ladybug but she still found insects, other than ladybugs of course which were cute to her, to be a little gross. Add in the fact that almost all of the exhibits were the large, ugly, insects, spiders, snakes, and other deadly looking lizards and Marinette was a little creeped out by the creatures around them. However, Adrien seemed to like them and that was good enough for Marinette. She would stay here with him and look at the creepy crawlies knowing that he would go where she wanted to go afterwards once it had cooled down a little, that was the kind of friend that Adrien was.

Unfortunately, Marinette's luck did not hold out, as it seldom did for her. They were nearing the exit when they felt the ground shake and Marinette was thrown into Adrien who easily caught her without falling over. Marinette had no complaints about being held by her crush, her blush had returned as soon as Adrien wrapped his arms around her but he couldn't see that from the angle she was at, but she knew what had just happened. Someone in the zoo had just been akumatized and had decided to attack.

"Attention zoo goers, there has been an akumatization in the zoo." A calm voice came over the zoo's PA system. "Please remain calm and where you are while we assess the situation and await Ladybug and Cat Noir's arrival. The new akuma protocols are now in effect. The zoo thanks you for your patience and have a wonderful day."

"I have to go find Alya and Nino and make sure they are ok." Marinette said quickly, thinking of the first excuse she could to get out of there as she reluctantly let go of Adrien. "They should be in the big cat area and I dread to think what might happen if one of those cats got out because of the akuma."

"Good idea, I am going to go see if Ms. Bustier needs any help." Adrien said just as quickly before he ran off towards a nearby emergency exit door, the opposite direction to where Marinette was planning on going.

Marinette just nodded, hating the fact that an akuma had just ruined a good afternoon alone with Adrien but knowing that she had a duty to Paris first to deal with this akuma and not wait it out with Adrien. As Adrien ran off one way, Marinette headed back the way they had come to the front exit. She didn't get very far.

Marinette had not noticed the grooves in the floor in the dark exhibit room so she did not expect the sudden whooshing sound or the cast iron grate similar to one used in museums when a painting is stolen to come down right in front of her. As a result, she ran right into it and bounced painfully off it and landed on her ass in the area of the exhibit that she and Adrien had been in when the akuma attack had begun.

Grumbling, Marinette got up and looked over to see Adrien try and shoulder charge the emergency exit door and bounce off it without budging it. He looked over to her, a slight look of panic in his eyes as he shook his head to indicate that the door was locked.

"For your own safety, we have locked and initiated security protocols in all our indoor exhibits." The same calm voice said over the PA system. "We don't want any escaped animals to harm our patrons now do we. Also, this system is automatic when there is a technical malfunction like the one we are experiencing now, we have the PA system working but all the cameras are out at the moment. We ask that you all just stay were you are and wait for Ladybug and Cat Noir to do their thing and save us from the akuma currently attacking the zoo. Thank you."

"Great." Marinette muttered under her breath, as much as she wanted to be locked in a room with Adrien now was not the time. "What do we do now?"

* * *

Adrien swore under his breath and rubbed his shoulder as he walked away from locked door and looked at Marinette, who seemed to look as panicked as he felt. He needed to get out of here so that he could find Ladybug and help deal with the akuma. As much as he enjoyed spending time with Marinette, and he was having a great afternoon with her, his first duty was to defend Paris and he couldn't do it locked in the reptile and bug house at the zoo.

Adrien could only see one way out, it was a good way out and one that was guaranteed to work, but it would also expose his secret to Marinette. Still, Adrien trusted her and given the situation he was going to have to, there was no way that his lady knew that he was here. He had to risk it.

"Marinette, can I trust you?" Adrien asked, he could have sworn she had just said something but he had been too focused on his own issue to pay attention to his friend.

"Course you can Adrien." Marinette replied looking over at him with confusion in her eyes. "Why?"

"Just, well, don't tell anyone, promise?" Adrien said as he looked for any other way around this and found none. There was only one way out of this place so Adrien just had to grit his teeth and hope he could trust one of his few good friends in the world.

"I won't but what…" Marinette began but Adrien didn't give her the time to complete her sentence, it was now or never.

"Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Marinette just gawked at what was now in front of her. One-minute Adrien had been there babbling on about trusting him, which she did and would never tell any of Adrien's secrets that he trusted her with to anyone, the next Cat Noir was standing there instead. The obvious explanation was that Adrien was Cat Noir and the only way out was with his Cataclysm. Still Marinette had to be sure.

"A-Adrien?" She asked hesitantly. "Y-you're C-Cat N-Noir?"

"Yes." Adrien admitted with a shrug and the usual cocky, slightly sheepish, grin that Cat Noir usually had. "And I need to face the akuma and get out of here so please keep this a secret."

"Oh, that won't be a problem." Marinette said with a sigh and realized that now was as good a time as any to reveal her own secret to Adrien.

Adrien had trusted her, albeit because of the dire situation they were in, so she needed to return the favor. Besides, she would have to face the akuma herself anyway and couldn't get out of here without Cat Noir so she might as well transform in front of him as well. There was a lot that they needed to discuss, first and foremost the fact that Adrien was in love with Ladybug and she was in love with him but that because of the masks they didn't know that they loved each other but that could wait, they both had to save Paris again first.

"Why?" Adrien asked but Marinette decided to do what he had done and just show him.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien just stared in amazement as Marinette transformed into Ladybug right in front of him in the exhibit hall. The girl he loved had been in his class all this time and he never knew it or even suspected it. This was something that he needed to talk to her about but thankfully Marinette had a clearer head on her shoulders than he did at the moment.

"Close your mouth kitty, we can talk about this later." Marinette chided with a smile and Adrien obliged, blushing at the shocked sight he must have been to her. "Now are you going to use your Cataclysm or not. That was your original plan, wasn't it?"

"Of course, m'lady." Adrien said with a smile. "As always, you know just what to say. Cataclysm."

Marinette just rolled her eyes at him as Adrien raised his hand and activated his power. Quickly he ran over to the emergency door and destroyed it. Now they had 5 minutes to find the akuma, defeat it and then find a place to hide and transform back to normal, or for Adrien to find an isolated place to transform, give Plagg some cheese and return while Marinette dealt with the akuma. Piece of cake for the heroes of Paris.

With a grin and a wink at Ladybug, Adrien led them out of the exhibit and into the zoo, they had an akuma to find and defeat, then they had a long conversation ahead of them. It was all in a day's work for the teenage superheroes.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot for the 3rd day of my 12 day post hiatus blitz. Tomorrow's one should also be around 3-4k words given my availability but soon the longer ones in this blitz will be made when I have no commitments whatsoever.** **That is all for this brief post chapter note, a** ** ** ** ** **s always, keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews so that I know what does and doesn't work with these oneshots and what y'all want to see more/less of, which I will try to do to the best of my ability. Until tomorrow.**********

 ** ** ** ** **Stringdog**********


	42. Closet

**Here is the 42nd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the second of the 6 oneshots in my 12 days blitz that was suggested by the same follower responsible for countless past, present and future oneshots in this series. I know I said yesterday that 'Zoo' was likely the shortest that I would ever write, I didn't expect to challenge that a day later but this oneshot turned out to be simple, sweet, and straightforward, as most of the oneshots in this blitz will likely turn out to be (but not all) so there will be a few candidates for shortest oneshot in this series when this blitz is said and done. This is because the draft for this oneshot was the shortest I have ever written (only 2,100 words) but the edits were much more substantive than for 'Zoo' so the latter still remains the shortest ever oneshot.** ** **That's all for this pre oneshot note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Closet.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Closet** **\- After a particularly challenging akuma, Marinette can only find one place to transform back to civilian attire before her miraculous times out, a janitorial closet in an area of the school closed for maintenance. Unfortunately, that is also the only place Cat Noir can change as well. Deciding that they both need to transform and this is the only place they can, they both have to once again trust the other not to peak and trust their kwamis to help them out. Of course they fail to factor in a nosy reporter and a friend's desire to find out where her best friend was hiding while the akuma attacked the school.  
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* * *

 **Closet**

Marinette swore under her breath as she rushed towards the nearest and safest place to transform, a janitor's closet in the hallway. They had been at school when the akuma had attacked it out of the blue. Yet again it was an akuma that was seeking to destroy Chloe who it blamed for its akumatization, and Marinette had acted at once.

It was a well-rehearsed routine for her when an akuma attacked Paris and Marinette was in class. She would immediately ask to go to the bathroom, so would Adrien for some reason but she never dwelt on that fact as it likely was his dad's rules that he hide during an akuma attack, and rush out of the classroom as soon as Ms. Bustier gave permission. Sometimes Marinette would be in such a rush, usually when the akuma was nearby, that she would rush out without permission, she had served a few detentions because of her hastiness but it was an exchange she was willing to make to help save Paris from Hawk Moth's latest akuma.

Once in the bathroom, Marinette would transform into Ladybug and deal with the akuma as she always did. When Marinette had defeated it and purified the akuma, she would return to the bathroom, change back into her civilian attire, and return to the classroom, if school hadn't been let out early because of the attack that is. She would then claim that she had been intercepted by the akuma along the way and fallen victim to whatever its power was or if the akuma didn't make minions, she would say that the attack was too close to risk coming back and had hid out in the bathroom until then. So far people were buying it, at least Marinette hoped they were buying it, and as such she wasn't going to mess with a proven formula for success.

Today, however, was different. The akuma had been a tough son of a bitch to take down and had required 4 minutes and multiple attempts with her Lucky Charm item to destroy the akumatized item so that she could de-evilize it and restore everything to normal. Cat Noir had also spent too long with his Cataclysm active as well but he had activated it later than her Lucky Charm so he was making sure the poor victim was okay.

That had left Marinette to flee and find the best place to hide to transform as she knew that she wouldn't make it to the bathroom in time. That best place had been a janitor's closet in a hallway that she was sure wasn't used by the school due to maintenance in that area. Also the whole school had come out to see the fight and the aftermath so she couldn't return to the bathroom as someone might be there and thus find out Marinette's secret.

"Ladybug wait." A voice called from behind her just as she reached the closet. Marinette turned to see Cat Noir running towards her, his ring beeping furiously.

"Cat Noir we don't have time for this." Marinette chided him unsure of why he was here with her right before both of their miraculouses were about to time out. "We both need to transform right now, why are you here?"

"That's why I'm here, there isn't anywhere else to go in the time I have left before my miraculous times out." Cat Noir said quickly. "Everywhere else is packed after the attack, this corridor was closed for maintenance according to the Principle so I came here, didn't realize that you would be here as well."

"Merde." Marinette swore as she realized how bad the situation was. They likely only had seconds left and they were both with each other on the brink of transforming back to civilian forms. "What do we do? There is nowhere else to go."

"We both use the closet." Adrien said gesturing to the closet. "But we keep our eyes closed, like we have done twice before. Then we both transform and wait a few seconds afterwards to allow our kwamis a moment to recover. Then, one of our kwamis can make sure the coast is clear outside with the other makes sure we don't peek. When we know that it is safe for you leave, you leave, and I wait 5 minutes or so before leaving after you so that neither of us sees who the other one is. This way we transform and preserve our identities from one another or anyone else who might see us here."

"It's risky but I trust you and it's not like we have much of a choice." Marinette agreed with a sigh as her earrings gave a final loud and persistent beeping that signified seconds left before her miraculous timed out. "Very well, we have seconds at best so lets do this."

Cat Noir nodded as he opened the closet door and ushered her in, following her. Trusting him, Marinette went to one side of the closet, closed her eyes and waited until the door was closed before speaking.

"Are your eyes closed?" She asked seriously, she trusted Cat Noir explicitly but she had to be sure.

"Yes." Cat Noir said before showing his trust in her by adding his de-transformation phrase. "Plagg, claws in."

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said and felt her transformation fall and Tikki give a tired sigh of relief.

"Wow that was close." Came a male voice that Marinette recognized as Plagg, Cat Noir's kwami.

"Tell me about it." Tikki said. Marinette resisted the urge to either speak or open her eyes as she felt her kwami flying around the closet lest she give herself away or find out who Cat Noir was under his mask. "Good, their eyes are still closed. Plagg, you check the corridor to make sure it's clear while I ensure that these two do not open their eyes."

"Why do I have to check the corridor?" Plagg asked with a slight whine in his voice. "I'm tired and in major need of some cheese."

"So am I, though I prefer cookies to cheese and this is a moment where you need to think with your head and not your stomach." Tikki retorted in a tone that made Marinette realize that the two kwamis had been bickering like this for millennia. "But you need to check because you blend into shadows better than I do. Besides, you are the expert at sneaking around undetected, I'm not and I am way to distinctive."

"True, I did once sneak into the Vatican Archives without Leo knowing I was doing so or that I spent a whole week there figuring out what they had there, though that had been a dare from some minor god who was pissed off at the Catholic Church because they had turned a temple of his into a church and he was fading because of it." Plagg said and Marinette could hear the pride in the kwami's voice. "Or at least I think that was the reason I was in there, I might have had too much wine the night before and thought it was a fun idea to sneak into the most secret place in Rome at the time, it was half a millennia ago so I am a little hazy on the details. I do remember that there was some interesting and weird shit in there back then, and that was 500 years ago."

"Which Leo Plagg?" Tikki asked with a little reproach in her voice as she cut off Plagg's reminiscing rant that made sense to only the kwamis. "Your human Leo or Pope Leo X. I hate asking this but it is the only way I know to move this story on so that you can shut up and do your job."

"Both, I did this towards the end of my Leo's life." Plagg said after what Marinette thought was a pause to remember the day. "He was too busy to utilize me the way we had worked in his youth so I had some time on my paws and Leo was a man who loved figuring things out. He wore off on me that way."

"Well as fascinating as this is, can you please check so one of our current humans can leave." Tikki said now clearly irritated at her fellow kwami. "I am sure that they want to open their eyes and speak as soon as possible."

Marinette just nodded her head and Plagg grumbled an ascent under his breath. Unfortunately, they didn't get the chance to find out if the coast was clear because at that very moment the door to the closet swung open and the kwamis instantly hid, just before there was a loud, excited gasp of joy from outside and Marinette was forced to open her eyes. She was shocked at what she saw.

* * *

Alya had been following the akuma fight from a safe distance, chronicling it as best she could for the Ladyblog as usual. As always she had hoped that Ladybug would need a hand and she could become Rena Rouge again but alas this battle, though tough, did not need her assistance or her illusions. Therefore, Alya was relegated to her usual reporting, which she didn't mind at all as it did help get views on the Ladyblog when she live streamed an akuma attack.

However, now that the fight was over and school had been let out for the day because of the attack, Alya had to go find Marinette and go home with her. They had homework to do and Marinette's parents made the best homework snacks, cookies. As always though, Marinette was nowhere to be found during or right after the akuma. Alya would have been worried but this was normal for Marinette, she just wished she knew where her friend always needed to go to the bathroom during an akuma attack for some reason and either hid during the attacks or got affected by the akuma's power. Alya usually had to go and find her afterwards so this was normal for the amateur blogger.

Given the fact that the whole school was in the courtyard or the downstairs locker room, Alya assumed that Marinette was hiding somewhere else as she would have showed herself by now otherwise. That was why Alya had decided to go to the maintenance area to see if Marinette was there, there was a handy janitor's closet that Alya knew from sneaking there with Nino that would make a great hiding spot and it was the only logical place that Marinette could have gone to.

As Alya entered the corridor that was closed off for maintenance, she heard the closet door in the middle of the corridor shut and smiled to herself. Marinette had to be in that closet and Alya would be remiss in her friendship if she didn't surprise Marinette in the closet and ask her best friend why she was hiding in the closet and not the bathroom or somewhere else more practical and easier to access.

That was why Alya crept up to the closet as slowly as possible so as to not give herself away. As soon as she reached it, she put her hand on the door handle and in one quick motion, hoping that Marinette hadn't locked it, pulled it down and yanked the door wide open.

If Alya had been paying more attention she would have noticed the two kwamis floating in midair that dove for cover as fast as they could fly as soon as the door was opened, but she had been too focused on who she had surprised in the closet to notice anything else. It had caused her to give a loud, excited, and joyful gasp of surprise at what she had found, it certainly explained a lot.

Adrien and Marinette were in the closet, alone, together, both staring wide eyed in shock and surprise at Alya as she stood there smirking at them. Both were looking very guilty and standing as far apart form one another as possible. This explained why they were both never around during an akuma attack, they used the distraction of the akuma to sneak off and have some private time together when they wouldn't be caught.

Now that they had been caught, their reaction to Alya's sudden arrival confirmed to her that she had been right, the two were secretly dating and were using the janitor's closet in the maintenance area, and the akuma attack distraction, for a secret rendezvous. Alya was not going to let them off that easily, no way in hell was she not going to get to the bottom of this or why neither had bothered to tell her that they were now a couple.

"Hah." Alya exclaimed triumphantly as she pumped her fist in the air. "I knew that you two would end up together, I was so right."

* * *

Marinette stared wide eyed first at Alya and then at Adrien who was standing in the closet with her. Their plan to not find out who the other one was ruined thanks to Alya and her best friends innate curiosity and now Marinette knew that Adrien was Cat Noir, that much was painfully obvious to her. There were certainly more to this revelation than Marinette could comprehend right now, she was in panic mode at the moment, but there was also the more pressing matter to deal with, Alya.

"Hah." Alya exclaimed triumphantly, her exclamation breaking Marinette out of her shock as she looked at her best friend, still wide eyed at the interruption. "I knew that you two would end up together, I was so right."

Well that was unexpected. Marinette had expected Alya to figure out who both of them were but it seemed she had jumped to a very different, though a not unwelcome one in Marinette's dreams, conclusion. Marinette was dating Adrien in secret and using the akuma attacks to hide it from everyone at school. This was something Marinette could play along with given the alternative of having Alya find out that Marinette was Ladybug, even if it wasn't true that she and Adrien were dating, yet.

"Well come on you two." Alya said turning around and began walking back to the main area of the school. "You both have a lot of explaining to do. Don't expect to get away with this, I want all the juicy details about this. When did this start? How did it happen? How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me? And much more. Come on, we have all afternoon for you to justify not telling me."

"Just go with it." Marinette whispered furiously to Adrien the moment she could do so without Alya overhearing the conversation over her joyous laughter at what she thought was the truth. In the process, Marinette felt Tikki phase into her purse. "We can talk about this later."

* * *

There was only one explanation for why Marinette was in the closet with him when Alya surprised them and forced Adrien to open his eyes at the shock of the sudden discover; Marinette was Ladybug. It was the only explanation given the fact that Adrien had been in the closet with Ladybug and now Marinette was there when the door was opened for the first time since they had entered the closet to transform, right where Ladybug had been.

"Hah." Alya exclaimed triumphantly, her exclamation bringing Adrien back to reality and the gravity of the situation they were in. "I knew that you two would end up together, I was so right."

If Adrien hadn't had been in such a state of panic he would have breathed an audible sigh of relief. Alya had not seen Plagg or Tikki when she had opened the door and instead had jumped to the fact that Adrien and Marinette were secretly dating instead, something much better than having his secret as Cat Noir revealed to Alya.

Adrien didn't know why Alya had assumed that they were dating or why she sounded so triumphant about it but the more Adrien thought about dating Marinette, the more he realized that it was a possibility. He did love Ladybug after all and Marinette was Ladybug so that meant that he loved Marinette, right? Hopefully now that they knew each other's secrets Marinette would give him a chance if he asked her out again and he could see if, as he expected, he loved the girl underneath the mask as much as he loved the girl who wore the mask.

"Well come on you two." Alya said turning around and began walking back to the main area of the school and once again bringing Adrien back to the issue at hand. "You both have a lot of explaining to do. Don't expect to get away with this, I want all the juicy details about this. When did this start? How did it happen? How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me? And much more. Come on, we have all afternoon for you to justify not telling me."

"Just go with it." Marinette whispered furiously to Adrien as soon as Alya appeared to be out of earshot. "We can talk about this later."

"Agreed." Adrien said as he took Marinette's hand in his causing her to blush furiously and almost fall out of the closet as Adrien led her out for some reason but he was there to steady her so that she didn't fall and bring them both down to the ground. "We can deal with this later. For now, best to let Alya think what she wants to think."

Marinette just nodded as they left the closet hand in hand, following Alya. They would have to give the girl some bullshit story to satisfy her but after that Adrien knew that he and Marinette needed to have a long chat about everything that had just happened and what it meant for them going forward now that they knew the other's secret identity.

Adrien was looking forward to that chat because he hoped that it would go in a specific direction that he wanted it to go in. However, first they had to survive the grilling from Alya and Adrien would take an akuma attack over that ordeal any day of the week. It would all be worth it in the end, at least that's what Adrien kept telling himself, as he and Marinette followed Alya hand in hand to what felt like their doom.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot for the fourth day of my 12 days of Christmas oneshot binge. The 5th one in this spree, and the second oneshot in this entire series with a very interesting title, is not expected to be Basic Class but should be at least a 5k Standard Class oneshot if not one of the shorter Complex class ones but I do have more free time to work on during the day so that is why it is one of the longer ones in this blitz. As always, keep letting me know what you think about this series in the reviews, as of the last oneshot this is my most reviewed fanfic ever, finally claiming one of those distinctions (others being views, followers and favorites, all of which this story still lags behind in second place but is expected to exceed in views at least) from my first ever fanfic. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	43. Miraculous

**Here is the 43rd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the 5th in my 12 days of Christmas post hiatus gift, the second after 'Fanfiction' with a very interesting title. This particular oneshot was suggested by Whovianeverlark17 in a review of 'Toys' (33rd oneshot) but given my backlog and occasional bonus oneshot it has been delayed until now. Given that this is the same person who suggested 'Cold' (as well as 'Injury' and 'Paranoia'), which is seen as one of the best in this series, there is a lot to live up to with this oneshot but as always I try my best. I have had to take a few liberties with this one due to the content of it so bear with me on those but as always I have tried to stick as true to canon as possible when dealing with the kwamis, their abilities and what is and what has not been made public knowledge. That's all for this pre oneshot note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Miraculous.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Miraculous** **\- Cat Noir is late to fight an akuma, really late, and Marinette is forced to fight it alone. However, her Lucky Charm has other ideas and directs her to seek an ally, which she does. Unfortunately, all of her temporary allies are out of town for the weekend but she knows one guy who is in town, who hasn't wielded a miraculous, and who she trusts with the power of a miraculous, she just needs to find him. All Marinette has to do is give a miraculous to Adrien, what could possibly go wrong with that?  
**

* * *

 **Miraculous**

"Cat Noir, where the hell are you?" Marinette muttered as she looked down from a rooftop on the akuma that was tearing up the Louvre's glass pyramid thing looking for whatever had akumatized it. "You should already be here by now."

Marinette opened her yo-yo to the communication function and tried to call Cat Noir again. Again, it went straight to voicemail. That only meant one thing, he hadn't transformed yet. Marinette swore in frustration at the situation.

It wasn't like Cat Noir to be late to an akuma attack, he usually beat her to them and had already engaged the akuma in banter, and yet she had been here for almost 10 minutes and he had still not shown up. Marinette couldn't fight it alone, at least not without his kwami Plagg to aid her as well, but neither were here. She knew that something must be keeping him because he hadn't transformed yet but for the life of her she didn't know what it was.

* * *

"Mr. D'Argencourt, please I have to go." Adrien said to his fencing instructor. "Dad wants me home during any akuma attack, it ensures that I am safe. I have been a target for a few akumas in the past so I really need to go."

"I'm sorry Adrien but I would be remiss in my duty as your instructor if I did not keep you all here and protect you." The fencing master said shaking his head as he rejected Adrien's 5th attempt to leave. "You are safe here and that is final."

Adrien grumbled as he turned back and walked over to the bench in the locker room, it was hopeless. The akuma had struck Paris while he had been in a fencing lesson and Mr. D'Argencourt had decided it was best to lock them all in the changing room and protect them himself. The fencing master even kept a count of the students so Adrien couldn't use the bathroom excuse to go and fight the akuma. He was stuck here.

"I'm sorry m'lady." Adrien said with a sad sigh as he looked out towards where the akuma had been reported to be attacking. "You will have to do defeat this one without me, find someone worthy to fight alongside you today."

* * *

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette called out throwing her yo-yo into the air.

She had waited 5 more minutes for Cat Noir and had gotten fed up with waiting him to show up. It looked like he was indisposed so Marinette decided to try and take the akuma on her own. As such Marinette had used her Lucky Charm to speed up the fight and give her an edge right from the start.

Of course the power of her miraculous worked in mysterious ways and the ladybug print item it came down with was a massage pillow; the same style as the one Master Fu used. Instantly Marinette knew what she needed to do and where she needed to go.

"Great." Marinette muttered as she turned and ran towards his massage parlor. "I need an ally and I've already wasted too much time. Cat Noir, you had better have a damn good explanation for missing this fight."

As Marinette ran across the rooftops to Master Fu's she thought about which of the three allies had entrusted miraculouses to in the past would be best against a powerful akuma that could destroy a large glass pyramid with its raw strength. That was when Marinette realized that she had a problem; none of her three previous temporary allies were going to be available to help her.

Alya had taken Nino out of town for the weekend to introduce him to her grandparents, at her parents insistence that they meet her boyfriend. She had been so happy for the chance for a weekend away with Nino that Marinette hadn't even thought about the fact that Alya or Nino might be needed in Paris to fight an akuma, though neither illusion or protection seemed to be of use against this akuma. That would have left one option open for an experienced ally, albeit one that Marinette only turned to in dire situations. Chloe.

However, Chloe was away for the weekend with her father and mother at a retreat for all the mayors of French cities down in the south of the country. Of course, this meant that Chloe was tanning and being pampered by servants with her mother and sharing it all on social media to annoy everyone from school, while her father worked. This meant that she too was unavailable to aid Marinette with this akuma, not that Chloe's Venom would be able to pierce the akuma's thick looking skin.

No, with her three experienced allies gone that meant that she would have to choose a new ally, and likely a new miraculous for that ally to use. Fortunately, there was still one person in Paris that Marinette trusted with such power, not that she trusted Chloe with it but the girl had her uses at times, she just needed to pick out the right miraculous for him and find him. Thankfully, she knew his schedule by heart.

* * *

"Master Fu, my Lucky Charm sent me here again." Marinette said as she burst into Master Fu's massage parlor to find him enjoying a cup of tea with Wayzz.

"Again?" Master Fu asked confused. "I know your power works in strange ways but it seldom requires this many allies."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they are fighting another two akuma wielders and as such they require more assistance than usual." Wayzz suggested as he floated over to greet Tikki. "The last time more than 2 miraculouses were used at the same time to fight evil was when Daizzi had his miraculous stolen and his owner forced him to do great evil a few thousand years ago, some dude called Attila the Hun I believe but it was a long time ago so the name might escape me. Anyway, it took four of us being active and in frequent use at the same time to bring him down, not just the two most powerful miraculouses. It then took Daizzi a few centuries to recover from that terrifying ordeal."

"That is a logical reason to have more in circulation than is absolutely necessary." Master Fu said stroking his goatee as he walked over to his gramophone and began to unlock it so that he could remove the Miraculous Jewelry Box. "It is rare for a Miraculous Holder to be evil or for a miraculous to be used for evil purposes so it would take a few miraculouses to balance that out I would presume. We already know that Hawk Moth has an ally of his own with the Peahen Miraculous Holder so more might be needed to combat our enemies. However, until I am certain that they need to be in permanent circulation, I will continue to only allow you to chose an ally on a temporary basis."

As Master Fu had been speaking he had been unlocking and then removing the Miraculous Jewelry Box. Once it was out, he placed it on his massage bed and opened it as he done the few time Marinette had needed an ally to aid her against an akuma.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such power's on hand to serve a greater good. Once the mission is over, you must retrieve the Miraculous from them." Master Fu intoned as the box opened all of its compartments revealing the 19 miraculous slots.

As soon as she saw the miraculouses, Marinette instinctively reached for the Fox Pendent for Alya but then remembered that her best friend was away and couldn't help her at the moment. That was when she paused and look at all of the miraculouses for the first time, focusing on the 12-side compartment miraculouses that appeared to represent the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

"My past 3 allies are all out of town so I need a new one but I don't know which one to choose." Marinette said with a worried note in her voice. "I am only here because Cat Noir is missing and I need a miraculous ally now. It always takes two of us to defeat an akuma."

"Take the Snake Miraculous then." Tikki said helpfully as she flew over to a teal colored bangle with a serpent design on it. "Sass is the wisest kwami so when there is no clear choice, most of us defer to him. We will need his wisdom, patience, and intuition to win out today. Without more to go on, this is the kwami for the job."

"Very well, I know just who to trust with this." Marinette said as she pulled out the Snake Miraculous and help it up while Master Fu returned the box to normal. "Thank you Master, I will have it back to you in no time."

Marinette waited for Master Fu to box it up and then left his massage parlor. Once outside, Marinette found a safe place to transform before she swung away towards her school and where Mr. D'Argencourt had his fencing class at this time, the Saturday class was only for the top level students so there was no doubt that he would be there. All Marinette had to do was to get there as quickly as possible and hope to god that he was still there.

There was only one person she trusted with a miraculous at a time like this and he should still be safely at the school if the standard protocols were followed and if Mr. D'Argencourt was being his usual protective self. Marinette needed to find the one person in her close group of friends who had never held a miraculous but who she trusted with one, she needed to find her crush, she needed Adrien Agreste.

* * *

"Merde, what the hell does Mr. D'Argencourt think he is doing?" Marinette asked herself as she reached the school and found out that the fencing instructor had barricaded himself and all his students in the changing room. At least he was being his usual protective self but this was too much, even for him.

For some reason the fencing master thought that that would protect the students, despite the fact that the akuma was in a different area of Paris and likely wouldn't reach the school. Though it would probably do little to the akuma if it did attack, most akuma's weren't phased by normal weapons.

Normally teachers allowed the students to go home, after keeping them to make sure the way home was safe hence the proper protocols. All this was unless the school was deemed to be the safest place, in which case the students staying in their classrooms and waited it out, but the fencing master clearly thought that his plan was safer. All it did was prevent Marinette from giving Adrien a miraculous and defeating the akuma at last, though it did make sure that Adrien was here and not at home where it could have been more awkward for her to give him a miraculous.

Marinette needed a plan to get to Adrien. She had to get the students out of the room and then intercept Adrien to get his help with the akuma. What she needed was a distraction that would force Mr. D'Argencourt to leave the room whether he liked it or not.

That distraction just so happened to present itself to Marinette in the shape of a bright red fire alarm built into the side of the wall outside the changing room. Marinette knew that she shouldn't pull it, it was technically illegal to do so, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Without a second's hesitation, Marinette pulled the fire alarm and then ducked behind the door so that she wouldn't be seen but could watch the students leave and grab Adrien as he left. Then she would swing him to the rooftop, hopefully without being clumsy and dropping him, and then make her pitch to him regarding her need for his assistance. A simple plan but as always, Marinette's luck wasn't on her side.

"Alright we have to leave now but I want you all to head straight home." Mr. D'Argencourt said as he left the locker room brandishing his fencing sword to make sure the coast was clear. "And I will be checking in will all of your parents to make sure that you got home safely."

There was a babble of talking as the fencing students left the locker room and headed for the school's exit in an orderly fashion, they all knew that the akuma was nowhere near the school so they were in no real danger. The school also knew that an akuma attack was occurring so they wouldn't check the fire alarm as closely as usual as it did occasionally double as an akuma alarm. That meant that Marinette had time to grab Adrien, give him the miraculous, and head to face the akuma before anyone came to investigate.

Marinette watched as all the students, most still in fencing gear but unmasked, left the locker room and then the school while her heart beat at twice the normal rate, so normal for being alone with Adrien. However, Marinette did not see Adrien leave which was not a good sign. She needed him more than ever right now.

Glancing into the locker room she saw a shock of blond hair dash into the men's bathroom. Marinette knew that she would regret going in there but she had to grab Adrien and at least a bathroom was private. Without a second's thought, Marinette followed Adrien into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Shock would have been an understatement. As soon as Marinette entered Adrien turned, yelped in surprise and fell on his ass on the bathroom floor as what looked like a black blur flew away but that was in the peripheries of Marinette's vision, all she was focused on was Adrien.

"Adrien right?" Marinette asked just to throw off any suspicions that she might actually know him. Adrien nodded up at her, still shocked that she was there and clearly a little embarrassed that she was in the men's room. "Good, I cannot find Cat Noir anywhere and there is an akuma terrorizing the Louvre. Will you help me?"

* * *

As soon as the fire alarm went off and Mr. D'Argencourt reluctantly agreed to let them go, Adrien hung back on the pretext of grabbing something from his locker. That wasn't an entire lie, he did have to grab something from his locker, that something just happened to be Plagg, who also happened to be pigging out on cheese in his locker while Adrien was fencing. As soon as Plagg was safely ensconced in his fencing tunic, Adrien headed to the men's bathroom to transform. He was already late to meet Ladybug, he needed to make up for lost time.

"Alright Plagg, it's time to help Ladybug." Adrien said quietly as soon as he was in the bathroom, the door was closed, and had opened the tunic to let his kwami out. "Plagg, claws o…"

Adrien didn't get a chance to finish his activation phrase as at that moment the door behind him opened again. Adrien had been so focused on transforming that the sound caused him to turn, yelp in surprise at the intruder and fall unceremoniously onto his ass, the last part embarrassing him. Of all people, Ladybug was in the men's room with him for some reason and she had almost seen him transform. Hopefully, Plagg had hidden before she noticed that he was there.

"Adrien right?" Ladybug asked him as she looked down at him on the dirty bathroom floor. Adrien nodded up at her, still shocked and a little embarrassed that she was here at all, he had planned to go find her and now she needed to go so that he could transform but he couldn't tell her that. "Good, I cannot find Cat Noir anywhere and there is an akuma terrorizing the Louvre. Will you help me?"

"Of course, m'l… I mean Ladybug, I am always willing to help you in any way I can." Adrien said quickly, hoping that it would get Ladybug to leave so that he could actually help her as Cat Noir.

This wasn't the case. What did happen was something that changed their relationship forever.

* * *

"Ok good, let's up you get, I mean get you up." Marinette said cursing herself for still being a tongue-tied school girl around her crush even when transformed as Ladybug, Adrien just had that kind of effect on her. Regardless, she offered him a hand to help him up though she was reluctant to let it go.

"So what help to you need from me?" Adrien asked a little more hurriedly than Marinette expected. "I am just an average citizen."

"Well Cat Noir is nowhere to be found and I need a partner to take out this akuma." Marinette said in her most confident Ladybug voice, it took a lot of effort not to become a clumsy mess around Adrien, even when she was Ladybug. "One I could trust. Seeing as I have worked with you in the past and I know you are a good person, I am trusting you to assist me. Will you help me Adrien?"

"Of, of course." Adrien said hesitantly and Marinette sighed in relief as she took out the box containing the Snake Miraculous.

"Good." Marinette said with a smile as she extended the box in her hand to Adrien. "Adrien Agreste, this is the Snake Miraculous and frankly I am not sure what power it will give you. I do know that you will use it for the greater good and when you are done you will return it to me. Will you accept this miraculous?"

Adrien just stared at her and the miraculous in what Marinette assumed was open mouthed awe at the miraculous he was being presented with. That was a standard reaction for people when they were first entrusted with a miraculous Marinette had found. With a slow nod, Adrien agreed and took the box, his ring flashing as he did so.

* * *

Adrien stared at the miraculous box with a mixture of shock and horror. Ladybug had decided to trust him with a miraculous, naturally not knowing that he was Cat Noir and already had one. However, his crush had been very insistent so with a little hesitation and reluctance, Adrien agreed and took the miraculous from Ladybug's outstretched hand.

Knowing what to expect but deciding to maintain a shocked expression when it happened so as to not blow his cover, Adrien slowly opened the lid. A teal ball of energy manifested above a simple bangle of the same color with a serpent motif on it. In seconds the ball had coalesced into the shape of a kwami with a distinctively serpentine appearance.

The Snake Kwami was sea green with a broad triangular head, yellow eyes, fangs and a forked tongue that he used to taste the air around him, the tongue matching his skin color. He had the classic snake's hood over his head and that ran down his back and into his long, black tipped tail. There was also a black, diamond shaped pattern in a line down his back. His serpentine, yellow eyes looked up at Adrien with a keen intellect and no hint of mischief that he had never seen in Plagg's eyes.

"Hello, I am Sass and today I shall be your kwami." Sass, the Snake Kwami's name apparently, said in a calm, measured, reassuring voice. "It is good to be out in the field again, it has been too many centuries since I was last active. All you need to do to activate my power is slide my miraculous on your wrist there and then… oh! Oh no, no, no this will not work, this will not work at all. I am sorry dear boy but I cannot be your kwami today, nor can you wield my miraculous at this time."

Now Adrien was staring at the kwami in confusion. The kwami had stopped talking, not that Adrien understood what Sass was going on about at the end, and was staring blankly at the ring on Adrien's finger, a look of surprise but not shock on his intelligent face.

"Er, Sass is it?" Ladybug asked with a little worry in her voice. "What seems to be the problem. I kinda need Adrien to transform so we can deal with an akuma attack, we are both very late for it."

"Yes, well there is a slight technical problem with that plan of yours, one that your Lucky Charm could not have foreseen." Sass said almost clinically as he floated upwards to look at both Adrien and Ladybug. "Well magical problem to be precise but I cannot be this human's kwami for he already had a kwami. One person cannot wield two miraculouses at once, the magics of our separate power sources would interfere and cancel each other out, the exception being the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses but those two have always been odd ones out. I am sorry Ladybug but I cannot help this human."

"You, you're a miraculous holder?" Ladybug asked Adrien to which all he could do was nod, Sass had given his secret away so there was little point left in denying it.

"That must mean." Ladybug muttered and Adrien braced himself to come clean to her about being Cat Noir, not how he had expected to reveal his identity to Ladybug but he trusted her so he was fine with her knowing. Of course that was not what Ladybug was thinking, not at all.

"That you must be Hawk Moth!" Ladybug exclaimed as she leapt backwards and began to spin he yo-yo furiously, preparing to attack. "How could I have not realized that the boy I loved and who sits in front of me in class was Hawk Moth, but it makes perfect sense. It's why you are never around during an akuma, or when you are they never, ever harm you. Hell, Gorizilla released me instead of letting you die, how can I have been this fucking stupid."

"It's not like that…" Adrien began confused at what Ladybug was babbling on about but knowing that he had just been mistaken for their arch enemy.

"The boy is quite correct, he is not the wielder of the Moth Miraculous." Sass added but it was clear that Ladybug was beyond listening.

"Shut up, I am taking you in Hawk Moth!" Ladybug yelled as she threw her yo-yo at Adrien. "Come quietly and there will be no trouble at all."

Adrien knew he stood no chance against Ladybug while in civilian form but he still leapt backwards just to be safe and to try and put some distance between them. Regardless, it was Plagg who came to his rescue.

"WAIT!" Adrien's kwami yelled as he shot out from his hiding spot and intercepted the yo-yo, both going at full speed.

The result was Plagg stopping the yo-yo's momentum but being thrown back into a bathroom mirror so hard he cracked it with a painful sounding crash. All the anger in Ladybug's face drained and she went pale when she saw which kwami had come to protect Adrien. There was no doubt as to which miraculous Adrien wielded now that Plagg had shown his face.

"Damn that hurt." Plagg grumbled as he extricated himself from the shattered mirror and nonchalantly pulled a shard of it out of what Adrien thought was his kwami's ass, at least it wasn't bleeding which was a good sign. "And I have taken a few blows in my life."

"A few?" Sass asked as he hovered over to help Plagg and make sure that his fellow kwami was ok.

"Fine, a couple hundred thousand from just about every being under the sun but who's counting." Plagg muttered while Sass looked him over. "But that was bad, even by my high standards. Seriously, you thought that my human was Hawk Moth, you know him, you love him, do you really think that he would be evil?"

"Well no but it was just a knee jerk reaction when Sass said that Adrien already had a miraculous." Ladybug mumbled as she flushed with embarrassment. Adrien wasn't sure he understood fully what was going on but he wasn't going to open his mouth anytime soon, best to keep quiet and wait for answers. "I didn't think that you would be his kwami, sorry."

"Meh, it's ok, I've had worse." Plagg said before turning to Sass, who was apparently inspecting Plagg's tail. "But you, you should know better. Now thanks to you my human's secret identity is known to his partner when she wanted their identities to remain a secret. I look forward to hearing about your punishment from all of my usual sources, it had better be as good as the last one I had to suffer for breaking the oath."

"It's not my fault that because of the secret identities and the fact that these two both know and trust one another in their current states that Ladybug would give Adrien a miraculous." Sass said simply while Plagg glowered at him. "It makes logical sense given who else has received one, remember Trixx and Pollen keep me well informed regarding the goings on in the world today. Ladybug, however, didn't know that Adrien here had a miraculous and as such didn't know that a person cannot wield two at a time, with the exception of the wish granting ability of wielding yours and Tikki's that is. I apologize for revealing the secret, at least partially, but given the circumstances this will be classified as a no other alternative scenario and as such I did not break my oath. Mage will understand and acquit me of breaking a sacred oath."

"Bloody snake always slithering out of trouble." Plagg grumbled under his breath but loud enough for them all to hear it. "I always get punished for breaking the oath, even when it is only partially my fault, but you manage to get away with almost anything. Nothing sticks to you, does it scales."

"It is what snakes do best, even if we get a bad rap for it." Sass said with a fang toothed smile. "However, I suggest that we all quickly sort this shit out because as I recall there is still an akuma on the loose in Paris that you two need to deal with. Ladybug, I think that it is time for the truth, given what you just found out. It would be for the best."

Adrien was still confused by a lot that had happened, other than the fact that Ladybug now knew he was Cat Noir, but he wasn't going anywhere. Sass was right, there was a lot to sort out right now before they went to face the akuma. Adrien turned, as did Plagg and Sass, to look at Ladybug, only she could explain everything right now, only she had the answers it seemed.

* * *

Marinette just stared blankly at Adrien and the two kwamis as they stared back at here. She had no idea what they expected of her, she was almost as lost as Adrien looked at the situation in front of her. She had already messed up once, she didn't want to mess up again.

From what she could already tell, Adrien was a Miraculous Holder. That much had been made clear by Sass when he refused to allow Adrien to use his miraculous and had said that Adrien wielded a miraculous of his own. Marinette's instinctual reaction had been that Adrien was Hawk Moth given everything that she had concluded and the situation they were in, but she had forgotten about Cat Noir due to his absence earlier. Now, though, based on the fact that Plagg was there, the latter was clearly Adrien's kwami. That meant that Adrien was Cat Noir and that she had accidentally caused him to reveal that to her.

Marinette felt stupid for jumping to the Hawk Moth explanation first and not Cat Noir. She had faced Hawk Moth, knew that he was an older man and not a teenager like her and Cat Noir. Adrien was her age and even looked a little like Cat Noir and not like Hawk Moth at all. Marinette had allowed her irritation at Cat Noir not being there and the fact that Hawk Moth was also a Miraculous Holder cloud her judgement. She would be forever sorry for that.

Still, there was one thing left to deal with, the same thing as before, Adrien being a Miraculous Holder. Marinette had assumed that Adrien had never been around during the akuma attacks because of a rule from his father or something. That and the fact that until now he had never been necessary when she needed an ally had been why he had never been chosen to aid her.

Now it all made sense. With Adrien being Cat Noir, he had an excuse for always being absent. Of course, because of the secret identities, Marinette had no idea that Adrien was a Miraculous Holder and had chosen him which had led to Sass revealing the truth. It had all been purely accidental but that still did not negate the fact that his secret was now out there. All it taken was for Marinette to have the wrong reaction upon learning that Adrien had a miraculous and now she knew who Cat Noir was, he was her love, he was Adrien.

That led to a different problem regarding Cat Noir's feelings for her and her own feelings for Adrien but Marinette knew that that was something that they should talk about when there was not an akuma trying to destroy the Louvre for some still as of yet unknown reason. No, Marinette knew what she had to do. It would explain everything and pay Adrien back for finding out his secret. It was the only way and it was what both Sass and Plagg were expecting her to do.

"Adrien, I am sorry for all this, this is the only way that I think I can explain everything." Marinette said as she steeled herself for what she knew she had to do. "Tikki, spots off."

* * *

Adrien's mouth fell open as Ladybug allowed her transformation to fall. In her place stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one of his closest friends. Adrien had not expected her to be Ladybug though if he thought back on it, there was some sense to it given Marinette's habit of missing entire akuma attacks, being behind on work, class, and sleep, and not getting akumatized herself. There was also the mention of her loving him but Adrien had a feeling that that could wait for when they actually discussed the fact that they were Ladybug and Cat Noir. Right now they had more pressing issues to discuss.

"Marinette, you're Ladybug?" Adrien asked finally breaking the silence.

"I, I am." Marinette muttered much more shyly than usual. "And I am sorry for all this, given our secrets there was no way that I could have known that you had a miraculous before deciding to trust you with one when my Lucky Charm directed me to find an ally."

"Don't worry, I forgive you." Adrien said with a smile. He knew Marinette would feel bad about this and he didn't want her to, it was an honest and accidental mix up, that's all. "You couldn't have known and I am sorry that I forced this on you by being unable to help when I was most needed."

"Yeah, I saw what D'Argencourt was doing, annoying really." Marinette agreed. "He means well but it was the wrong idea. Plus Nino and Alya are out of town so you were the only one I could trust."

"What about Chloe, she has experience wielding a miraculous." Adrien pointed out.

"She's also out of town and besides I only trust her when the akuma is something that requires her specific skill set to handle." Marinette said shaking her head at the idea. "You I trust more and because you haven't wielded one yet, well at least I was unaware that you were as experienced as I was, I thought that you would make the best ally today."

"Well technically I am the best ally, m'lady." Adrien said with his best cocky Cat Noir grin and Marinette let out a laugh at that.

"That is true kitty." She said still laughing. "You are miles better than anyone else I could ask for."

"As much as I do love to study the flirting, courting, and mating rituals of the human teenager, could you two please transform and deal with the akuma that you were supposed to deal with a long time ago." Sass said interrupting both of them and causing Marinette to blush furiously at the kwami's words. Given the heat on Adrien's cheeks, he was sure that he was also blushing.

"On sec, just let me make sure there is no more pieces of mirror in me." Plagg said as he began to check himself over once more. "It would be pretty painful for my human to transform with an impurity, I know it was for my last 7 holders who tried that and I am trying to not repeat my many mistakes of the past this time around."

"Probably a good idea." Sass said with a nod. "Marinette if you would please transform then you can put me in my miraculous and hold onto me until you are done with the akuma, that would be great. Then I can be returned to Master Fu and the Miraculous Jewelry Box."

"What? Oh yeah good idea." Marinette said snapping out of her embarrassment. "Tikki, spots on!"

In seconds Marinette was once more Ladybug, that would take some getting used to for Adrien but he knew that he would in time. Adrien watched as Marinette opened the box she had brought and Sass flew into his miraculous with a nod to both of them. Sass was very different to Plagg, Adrien had to admit that.

"Alright I am mirror fragment free." Plagg said proudly bringing Adrien back to the situation at hand. "Let's go kick some akuma ass."

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said with a smile as he transformed. Soon he and his lady were standing together once more, this time in a men's room at their school. "I believe you know where this akuma is bugaboo. Lead the way."

"As always kitty." Marinette said with a smile of her own as she turned and left the bathroom, Adrien following her as they began to run towards the akuma's last known location.

Adrien knew that everything between them had just been irreparably changed and that things would be different forever going forward. However, Adrien had a feeling that they would be for the better now that they knew each other's secret identity. He and Ladybug, Marinette, would be alright, they always were.

 **A little bit longer than the past few oneshots in this 12 day blitz but I had a little more time on my hands for this one. The next few will likely be on the shorter side again given time constraints, though there are other longer ones planned for this period, but they will be out as promised. To answer any possible questions here, Daizzi is the Pig Kwami and the French version has him using male pronouns, though as with Trixx and Nooroo, Daizzi is female in some of the other versions but I stay true to the French. There will be a Snake Miraculous holder in season 3 but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who is avoiding spoilers and as such did not use his holder, costume, or name in this oneshot, I just felt like Sass fitted best for this particular chapter and I have made up the whole mixing miraculous thing. Of all my oneshots, this one is likely to end up being non-canon when the show is all done. That's all for this oneshot, as always keep letting me know what you think in your reviews, both of this series as a whole and of my 12 days of Christmas binge. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	44. App

**Here is the 44th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the third of the 6 oneshots in my 12 days blitz that was suggested by the same follower responsible for countless past, present and future oneshots that have kept this series so varied and unique as I am not that creative. It is also the 6th oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas gift to y'all after my hiatus so we are halfway through now. This oneshot falls into the category of creative and unique with little to no similar traits to past oneshots (such as style of reveal or ending), something I am amazed at given how many oneshots are in this series and my own belief that I am not a creative person at all, it is all thanks to those who suggest these oneshots to me.** ** **That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, App.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **App** **\- Max has invented a fun new app (patent, copyright and trademark pending) that allows you to take a picture of a person and put them in the outfit of one of Paris's heroes (of the same gender) or Scarlett Hawk Moth. Naturally this has both Marinette and Adrien worried given how they are Ladybug and Cat Noir respectively and Max's proven skills with technology. However, the both play along to avoid suspicion and because everyone else has already done it. What could go wrong so long so long as they don't request their actual costumes? What secrets might be revealed if someone edited a class photo with the app, without Marinette or Adrien knowing but they still saw the picture?**

* * *

 **App**

Marinette walked into the classroom a few minutes early to find most of her class already there and talking excitedly with each other. They were all surrounding Max's desk as he showed them something on his phone. Curious, Marinette walked over to see what latest tech masterpiece Max had created, they were always good given Max's talents and it had to be a tech creation to get most of the class so interested in what Max had created.

"What's Max created this time?" Marinette asked Alya when she reached the gaggle of students surrounding Max and whispering to one another.

"He's created a new phone and tablet app." Alya said as Rose let out a happy laugh at something Max had done with his phone. "It takes any picture and puts you in the costume of one of the 5 heroes of Paris, or if you are so inclined Scarlett Hawk Moth's costume but few are selecting him given the fact that almost all of us have been akumatized by that bastard."

"Scarlett Hawk Moth?" Marinette asked with a little feigned confusion. "That's the super powered version Hawk Moth who appeared on the Heroes Day, right? Why not the normal Hawk Moth?"

"Because I do not know what he looks like normally." Max said looking up from his phone at Marinette and adjusting his glasses before he continued to speak. "The visual data I used to create the necessary code and subsequent algorithms for this app is taken from public domain news reports and clips of our heroes and Hawk Moth so that I can be as accurate as possible when it comes to my app, accuracy makes for the best results after all. The only public visual data on Hawk Moth is from Heroes Day which shows Hawk Moth in his Scarlett, enhanced, form. There is no visual data on what his normal appearance looks like so I used what I could. Some people prefer playing the villain so I added him to the app as well."

"Oh, that is very clever." Marinette said as she tried to understand what Max was saying. "Why create it though?"

"Well I got the idea for this app after we all participated in that Clara Nightingale video, you know the one with the masks that was a tribute to Ladybug and Cat Noir." Max said once again adjusting his glasses as he explained his latest creation and passing his phone to Rose and Juleka to play with while he explained everything to Marinette. "I needed a new challenge after I created Markov and this felt like one that was suited to my talents. The mask feature was easy, that is standard code that has been used in apps for a while given all those Snapchat and Instagram filters people use these days, no it was the costumes that were the hard part. Add on the fact that I wanted them to look as authentic as possible by both contouring them to the body of the person in the picture and looking as realistic as possible, down to Ladybug's spot count and Carapace's shell patter. Now that was the true challenge that was worth test of my skills, a test I passed by the way."

"Er, what?" Marinette asked, her level of understanding fading rapidly at what Max was saying. "Am I the only one confused."

"Nope, most of us are." Alya said before adding in a stage whisper. "I think Max just likes showing off his technical skills by explaining it to all of us over and over again."

"That and repetition is the best way to learn Alya." Max said with a nod. "But again, for Marinette's benefit, I decided to challenge myself with the code and algorithms needed for this app. I had to use a lot of footage of Ladybug, Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee, well as much as I could for the latter 3 given their infrequent appearances, to get the dimensions and details just right. The next thing was creating an algorithm that measured people in their pictures and contoured the costumes to their bodies. It was harder than expected but I relished the challenge. Today I am showing it off to the class before I publish it, I already have the trademark for the app's logo and the copyright paperwork for the app's contents filed so it should soon be available to download for free, along with patent paperwork on what needs to patented. Alas it is not perfect but it is as close to perfect as possible, there was one thing I couldn't accomplish."

"Oh, and what's that?" Marinette asked. "What could possibly stump you Max?"

"Gender." Max said simply.

"Gender? Marinette asked confused and glancing at Alya who just shrugged and shook her head. "Why gender?"

"Because men and women are biologically different and that shows in their physical appearance from puberty onwards." Max said in his usual clinical tone and another adjustment of his glasses. "We are physically different and my coding skills just aren't good enough to factor in those differences, both the subtle ones and the obvious ones. Therefore, you can only don the costume of a hero of the same gender, so in my case that would be Cat Noir and Carapace, well and Scarlett Hawk Moth but I have no desire to be seen in his out. On the other hand, you or Alya could only use Ladybug, Rena Rouge, or Queen Bee costumes on my app."

"Ladybug or Rena Rouge for me." Alya interrupted though Marinette doubted Alya would actually request the Rena Rouge one given that she was Rena. "I have no desire to look like Chloe thank you very much."

"Please, none of you could pull off Queen Bee, only I am perfect enough for her." Chloe said from her desk, she had not bothered to get involved with the app, not that Marinette was surprised given how selfish and self-centered Chloe was.

"None of want to either." Alya muttered darkly. "Besides, yellow is not my color."

"Er, Max, you were saying..." Marinette said quickly to get them back on track.

"What, oh yes my one major struggle." Max said blinking a little to remember what he had been describing. "As I was saying, gender has too many differences to make it work at my current skill level. In time though I will crack it. However, though I haven't had the chance to check it, I would presume that the algorithm would see a trans man or woman as the gender they have transitioned into for the purposes of the costume, while it would have to guess for those who choose to be more androgynous in their appearance. That being said, there are certain biological markers exist, and which my algorithms look for, regardless of how someone dresses unless they have had surgery to change it. Of course, I am still trying to calibrate it so that people can chose whichever hero they want to be, or Scarlett Hawk Moth for that matter, so I am still working out the kinks. I felt it was best to release it now and then add the updates whenever they are ready. This is a work in progress, one I hope to add to in the future if more heroes or villains show their faces around Paris."

"Er ok, whatever you say." Marinette said just nodding at Max's words. "I understand technology enough to know when it does or does not work and that's about it and honestly that is all I need out of it."

"We all have our different skills, I for one cannot bake, sow or draw the way you do." Max pointed out. "All are disasters and potentially dangerous for me and those near me. For me, my calling is technology."

"And we are all glad for that." Alya said with a smile at Max. "Without you, we would all be lost when it comes to tech."

"Would you like to try the app out Marinette?" Max asked as he went back down to his phone which Rose was still playing with but reluctantly gave back to him with a pout. "Everyone else has, well everyone else but Adrien and Chloe, though that's cos the former still not here yet and the latter doesn't want to partake."

"I already am one of those heroes and the best one at that." Chloe said as she loudly turned a page of the fashion magazine she was reading. "I don't need a stupid app to show me what I already know, though I would still look better as Ladybug or Rena Rouge than either of them, no matter how great both are."

"Er, I am okay but thanks Max." Marinette said with a little hesitation to try and not show her worry at the request. She had more on her plate right now then to get irritated by Chloe's words.

Marinette knew that she was right to be really worried. This app would show her in her Ladybug costume but people would know it was her because of the initial picture they used for the app. If that happened, well there was little doubt in Marinette's mind that she wouldn't be able to keep her secret, so long as Max's app was as accurate as she expected it to be, that was how good he was with this stuff.

"Come on Marinette, we have all done it." Alya said as she pulled out her phone and showed Marinette a picture of herself rocking a Ladybug outfit. "It's fun, try it."

Marinette looked at it for a moment and could have laughed had she not been worried a moment earlier. To be honest, Marinette was still a little worried but Alya had a secret and she had done this, she had just chosen one of the other two female heroes to be. Marinette could do that as well.

"Very well." Marinette said with a defeated sigh before she plastered a false smile of enjoyment on her face. "Seeing as everyone has tried it, I might as well join in the fun. Make me into Rena Rouge."

* * *

"Come on Adrien, join in dude." Nino said to him after Adrien had listened to Max's spiel about his new app. "We have all done it, I went with Cat Noir cos he's the second best, behind my dude Carapace of course but I could never pull of that sexy green suit and hand shield thing."

Adrien was still hesitant to join in because if someone put the Cat Noir costume on then they might realize the truth that he had sworn to never reveal. Adrien was afraid that omeone might realize that he is Cat Noir and blow his secret identity, something that could not be allowed to happen. Still, everyone but Chloe had done it so Adrien decided that it was best that he join in, it might be suspicious if he didn't. All he had to do was suggest a costume that wasn't Cat Noir, so Carapace or Scarlett Hawk Moth.

"Very well." Adrien said with a forced smile that he hoped didn't look forced. "Unlike you Nino, I can pull off that sexy green suit and hand shield thing. Make me into Carapace."

Adrien watched as Max found a picture of him and applied the app, only his phone had the feature on it. It looked fun and everyone had partaken in it so Adrien felt he would be safe so long as he never asked for the Cat Noir costume. Besides, what's the worst that could come of a harmless app?

* * *

An email notification beeped on Marinette's computer distracting her from her latest design project. It had been over 24 hours since Max had introduced his app to the class and Marinette was starting to feel comfortable that no one had tried to put her in a Ladybug outfit. Things were looking good after her brief panic.

The day had been uneventful after Max's app demonstration, just usual class, homework and after school activities. Marinette had used the art classroom yesterday to draw her latest design, which she was now working on, and again today after another standard day of school to get the materials she needed. Well it had almost been a standard day.

Today had been class picture day. After finally breaking Juleka of her curse the year before, there had been no drama this year and as such no akumatizations during the picture. Even Chloe had been on her best behavior during the photo, though that might have had something to do with it interrupting a manicure she had booked at the same time and wanted to get to ASAP. It had been over in a few minutes and everyone was back to class, or the nail salon, shortly afterwards. It had been so uneventful that Marinette had forgotten about it until just now.

The email notification was no doubt the school sending a copy of the class photo to her so that she could print it off and give it to her parents. Finishing the seam that she was working on, Marinette carefully turned off her sowing machine and rolled her chair over to the computer to check out the photo. Only it wasn't from who she had thought it would be from.

The email was the class photo but it was from Max, not the school. There was a short message in the email that Marinette looked at and at once felt the panic from the day before return to her in waves. Slowly she read the email before opening the attachment, the worry building with every word.

 _Hey Class,_

 _I just got the class photo so I decided to have some fun with it given my recent app's successful debut. I have taken the class photo and applied my app to it with the latest update that I just finished perfecting today. This update sets an auto assign function to the costume so the algorithm looks at your picture and then puts you in the costume that it thinks best suits you based on appearance, height, size, etc. so that you can see which hero you most resemble. Neat, isn't it. Anyway, have fun with my new and improved class photo. :)_

 _Max and Markov_

Marinette thought that the idea of editing the photo was anything but neat. That was because if this latest update was as good as Max's usual work, and Marinette highly doubted that it wasn't up to Max's usual standards, it would auto assign the Ladybug costume filter thing to her. That was going to make for some very uncomfortable explanations in class tomorrow.

With trepidation, Marinette clicked on the photo attachment and opened it. She had to know how bad It was so that she could get her lies straight when the time came.

It was as bad as she expected. There she was, sitting in the front row in full Ladybug costume and mask for all to see. There was no doubt that she looked like, well, herself. There was no way that anyone could not confuse her with Ladybug, she was totally fucked.

However, it was even worse than that. Both Alya and Nino had been given Rena Rouge and Carapace as well, and they were just as convincing as she was. Chloe was Queen Bee but her identity wasn't a secret so that didn't count. Max was way too good at what he did for his own good. This was not good for Marinette, not good at all.

Resigning herself to her fate of having to explain this as best she could, Marinette decided to look over the rest of the photo to see which hero best suited each person, perhaps she could use that to distract people in class and throw them off her secret. That was when Marinette got both the shock of her life and was instantly confused by what she saw.

Cat Noir was in their class photo. He was standing right behind her and right next to Nino in his Carapace costume but it should be impossible, what the hell would Cat Noir be doing in their class photo. As far as Marinette knew, Cat Noir did not go to her school, though for obvious reasons she knew very little about his civilian life just as he knew very little about hers. However, Marinette knew Cat Noir and his appearance very and he was definitely there, right down to his casual, cocky grin.

The most confusing part though was why was he in the photo in the first place? He was standing right where Adrien had been, Marinette would remember seeing as he was right behind her for the photo. Now, instead of Adrien, Cat Noir stood there.

Marinette searched the photo but didn't see Adrien anywhere. She was starting to get really confused as to why Adrien wasn't in the photo and Cat Noir was instead when it hit her. It hit her so hard that she gasped and fell off her chair to land in a painful heap on the floor.

"Marinette, what's wrong?" Tikki asked flying over to see if she was ok.

"The photo." Marinette said as she got up, righted her chair and looked at it again to confirm her suspicions. "Max's damn app put us all in costumes of the hero of Paris that most resembles us. Naturally it gave me Ladybug which is obviously a problem, same for Alya and Nino and their respective identities, but it's done more and worse than just us. It gave Adrien the Cat Noir costume and I know Cat Noir well enough to know when he is real and when it is just some guy in an outfit, and that is the real Cat Noir. Tikki, thanks to Max's photo, I know that Adrien is Cat Noir."

"What!" Tikki exclaimed as she flew over to look at the photo. "Merde, you're right. All four of you are too similar, someone is bound to notice. At the very least you and Adrien will realize the truth."

"Adrien will realize?" Marinette gasped, panic once again taking over and making her think about the ramifications of Adrien being Cat Noir, well not all of them as she was only focused on the negative and not the positive stuff like the fact that Cat Noir loved her.

"Well yeah, he is in the email thread." Tikki said pointing to it. "It's addressed to the whole class."

"Merde, this isn't good." Marinette swore. "This isn't good at all. We need to sort this out so we can try to avoid others figuring it out as well but first I need to confirm that Adrien knows as well."

With that Marinette pulled out her phone. She sent a quick text to Adrien, and almost instantly received one from him, the timing too quick for a reply. Gulping Marinette opened it, knowing what to expect. Hopefully they were the only kids in the class to come to this conclusion.

* * *

Adrien had just been finishing up a homework assignment on his computer when the email came. Noticing it was from Max, Adrien opened it and felt his heart instantly speed up when he saw what it contained. Adrien quickly read Max's message about using his app to improve the photo and groaned at what would come of it. Knowing what to expect, Adrien opened the photo.

He had honestly forgotten about Max's app since he had asked for a photo of him in Carapace's costume. Adrien was so busy that he tended to forget about little things that didn't directly affect him, especially when they only came up once for him, now though, his fear from the day before was back and rightfully so.

Right where he had been in the class photo stood Cat Noir. Max's algorithm had assigned him Cat Noir, obviously, and now there he stood for all to see. Anyone in the class with half a brain, so the whole class, would be able to figure out the truth and as such figure out Adrien's secret.

Resigning himself to come up with some lame but convincing excuse, Adrien looked at the photo again. That was when he realized that there was something odd about.

"Huh." Adrien said aloud. "There's something strange about this photo."

"What, did you say something?" Plagg asked from the cheese wheel he was wolfing down at a disturbing and probably unsafe pace.

"Nothing to worry you about Plagg, go back to your cheese." Adrien said as he leaned closer to the photo to study it in greater detail. There was definitely something strange about it.

"Will do boss." Plagg said followed by the sound of him gulping down a slightly too large piece of Camembert. "I am always happy to return to my gooey goddess, well god actually as it was created by a male deity but with cheese, I never judge."

"Uhuh, that's interesting." Adrien mutter not hearing what Plagg had said, the photo was too confusing to look away from. Judging from the disturbing sounds of Plagg eating coming from behind him, Plagg didn't seem to care about the photo.

That was fine with Adrien, he didn't need a distraction right now. He had to figure out why this class photo was confusing him so much.

Not only was Rena Rouge and Carapace in the photo with him, sitting or standing where Alya and Nino had been respectively, but his lady was there as well. Sitting directly in front of him and right where Marinette had been in the actual photo was Ladybug. Adrien knew his love anywhere and she was sitting directly in front of him in the photo, he was certain of that.

Confused, Adrien pulled up the email from Max and reread it. That was when he gasped and realized the truth. Max's app had given everyone the costume of the hero they most resembled, hence why he was Cat Noir, however it had inadvertently revealed three secret identities to Adrien in the process. He knew all three well enough, especially Ladybug, to recognize them by sight so there was no doubt in his mind as to who the three of them were. It turned out that all of his friends were either permanent or temporary Miraculous Holders.

Alya was Rena Rouge, Nino was Carapace, and Marinette, Marinette was his love, she was Ladybug. The feelings could be dealt with at a later date, first Adrien had to deal with the fact that he now knew their secrets and they likely knew his in return. He knew why they hadn't told him theirs, he hadn't told them his after all, so this was not good, not good at all.

Knowing that he had to make sure he knew the truth, Adrien decided to contact Marinette. She was the most likely one to figure out that he was Cat Noir given how well they knew one another in their superhero forms, and as Ladybug, Marinette was the best person to talk to about this. They needed to talk about this and soon but first Adrien needed to confirm that his suspicions were true.

Pulling out his phone, Adrien shot off a quick text to Marinette, right at the same time as he got one from her independent of his own initial message to her. Knowing what it would likely entail, Adrien opened it and hoped that Marinette was the only person in class who had figured out the truth.

* * *

Both messages said the same thing. All that was written was two words but those two words were enough to confirm both primary heroes of Paris's suspicions and it was all thanks to Max's damned app.

"I know."

 **Another short and simple oneshot, though this time with a different kind of ending than usual and a little bit of a cliffhanger because I do like to spice it up a bit. The next few oneshots will also be on the shorter scale given other commitments that I will have but they will all be out as promised, though maybe not in the mornings. That is all for now, as always keep letting me know what you think of this series and your favorite oneshots in your reviews. Until tomorrow.**


	45. Concussion

**Here is the 45th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the 7th oneshot in my 12 days binge (first one to not come out in the morning of its completion) and the fourth of the six in the series from the same longtime suggester to this series. As with most on this special blitz, this one is short and hopefully sweet given what happens and it is the shortest oneshot to date, a record that I hope stands longer than the previous shortest oneshot. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Concussion.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Concussion** **\- After an akuma attack, Adrien transforms on a nearby roof. On his way to leave, he slips on some ice, knocks himself out and gets a concussion in the process. Plagg, afraid for Adrien, rushes to find the only help in the area, Ladybug. Secrets will be revealed but sometimes there is an emergency that requires secrets to be divulged.**

* * *

 **Concussion**

Adrien landed on the rooftop and looked around, cautiously checking for cameras or people watching from other windows. Adrien had chosen this building for its proximity, easiness to get down from, and because it was the tallest building nearby so he didn't have to worry about windows nearby but he still liked to make sure, some people could be very nosy.

His ring beeped again but Adrien knew that he had a few more seconds to make sure that he was alone on the roof. Ducking behind an industrial sized air conditioning unit just to be safe, Adrien made one last check to ensure that the was alone. He was.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said as his transformation fell. Quickly he rummaged in a pocket and pulled out a piece of Camembert for his kwami to greedily wolf down, Adrien would likely have to transform again to get home if he couldn't find a quick way off this roof.

"You know just what I need, I knew there was a reason why I kept you around Adrien." Plagg said with a contented sigh when he was done with the cheese in near record time. "Well, I need more but this is enough for a brief recharge at the moment."

Adrien just shook his head at the greedy kwami as he got up, his breath frosting in the chill early January air as he began to walk to a door in hopes of getting off the roof without having to transform again. He was up here for the usual reason, an akuma had just attacked Paris again.

The attack had been pretty standard, someone had already violated his new year's resolution and was pissed at himself for it. As a result, he was promptly akumatized. Adrien had a feeling Hawk Moth's powers allowed him to sense heightened emotion in addition to using it to akumatize someone but Plagg hadn't been very helpful when Adrien had asked his kwami about how Hawk Moth's powers worked.

Ultimately, Adrien didn't particularly care, he wanted to defeat Hawk Moth and end the akuma attack first, figure out the power second. However, his enemy had only shown his face once, every other time he and Ladybug had been forced to face his puppet akumas, which they would continue to do to save Paris as they hunted for Hawk Moth's hidden base.

As always, Adrien and Ladybug had been on the scene of the akuma attack in moments and contained the akuma in short order. Both had had to use their powers to do so as was almost always the case. That lead to the standard hasty retreat, split up where Adrien went to a roof and Ladybug to a nearby alleyway, they transformed and went home.

Adrien hated leaving his lady but until they figured out how to stay transformed after using their power the way Hawk Moth did, all they could do after using their powers was to flee, find a place to transform and then recharge their kwamis in case their powers were needed again shortly. Normally Adrien he would see her for their next patrol or the next akuma attack and repeat the procedure.

Despite the repetition of when he used his powers, Adrien liked being Cat Noir, he liked the freedom the mask allowed him to be who he wanted to be and to get out and help people. Still, the one thing he did find annoying was how his lady kept rebuffing his advances. Adrien wasn't going to quit, he knew that one day she would be his, but until then he would keep trying, no matter how painful it was to keep getting shot down because she loved someone else.

Adrien had been too absorbed in his own thoughts that he had failed to notice the patch of ice on the rooftop until it was too late. Before he knew what had happened, Adrien had slipped, his feet were over his head and the roof was rushing up to meet his head. After that, it was blackness.

* * *

"Adrien?" Plagg asked concerned as looked down. One minute he had been floating next to his human, the next Adrien had slipped and landed hard on his head on the roof and had not gotten up. "Merde, not now, not now."

Plagg instantly flew to check on Adrien. He was breathing, which was a good sign, and there was no blood or what looked like broken bones, just a large bump on his head. That was also a good sigh but Adrien was unconscious and not responding when Plagg kept slapping him, which wasn't a good sign. Cursing, Plagg knew that Adrien was out for the count and likely had a concussion as well given where he had hurt himself and the reaction to the injury. This was not good, it was not good at all.

Given the current falling temperature as the day progressed and the likely concussion, this was not a good situation for Adrien to be in. It also wasn't a great situation for Plagg because short of calling in a valuable favor from a powerful deity that he knew, he had no idea how to help his human out.

That was when a flash of reddish pink light from the alley below caught the corner of Plagg's eye. Of course, Ladybug, Marinette now, was still around and could help him out. She was the only person who would understand the situation Plagg was in, and who understood falling over a lot, and the only person he could go to for help right now. This was clearly an emergency so there was no risk of punishment for violating his oath, his human's life was probably on the line so he had to do whatever he could to save him.

Plagg tore off at high speed and flew over the edge of the building and towards where he saw the flash, hating to leave Adrien behind but knowing that he had to in order to save him. Plagg saw Marinette was behind a dumpster, poking her head out to make sure the coast was clear and flew right for her. In his haste, Plagg misjudged his own speed and before he knew it, he had collided with Marinette's forehead with his own and spun off course. At least he had got her attention, now he needed her help.

* * *

Marinette had headed straight for the alleyway to transform after Cat Noir had gone up to a roof for his own transformation. This way there was no risk and she was already at street level so that when she was transformed she could just walk home afterwards and when Tikki was ready.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said as she dived behind a dumpster to ensure that no one saw here transformation. In a flash she was in her civilian attire again and pulling a fresh cookie out of her purse for Tikki. "Here Tikki, you deserve this."

Tikki just gave a tired nod as she accepted the cookie and began to munch on it with a contented look on her little face. Marinette peaked out from behind the dumpster to make sure the coast was clear. That was when a black blur shot towards her and collided painfully with her forehead knocking her back a step before she could even realize what was going on.

"Ow, that hurt." Marinette grumbled rubbing her forehead as she looked towards where the blur had gone after hitting her. As soon as she saw that it was Plagg, Cat Noir's kwami, she knew that there was a problem, he shouldn't be this far away from his human without a damn good reason. "Plagg, what are you doing here? Where is Cat Noir? What's happened to him this time?"

"Up on the roof and he needs your help right away." Plagg said quickly as he shook his head from their recent collision. "He slipped on some ice after his transformation and knocked himself out. He's lying up there out cold, almost certainly with a concussion, and it is getting cold fast. He needs your help right now."

"But if he's up there and you are here, and I have to go up there, then that means…" Marinette began realizing what that meant as Tikki flew over to join them, finishing off her cookie in the process.

"Yup, you will see who he is under the mask but given that this is an emergency, there is nothing we can go." Plagg said in a hurry, he was clearly concerned for his human otherwise he wouldn't be here, the last time Marinette had dealt with Plagg he had been nonchalant about the situation. "I wouldn't come to you otherwise but with the falling temperature he's in danger of freezing and well you are the only person to be able to help him. Well the only person nearby who isn't some near all powerful deity that I likely owe something to that is. Please Marinette, he needs you."

"This is serious." Tikki added as she looked at Plagg and then back at Marinette. "Plagg is only like this when it is an emergency that pertains to his human, I've seen it a few times before. You will find out who Cat Noir is Marinette, there is no other way around it right now but this is a situation which negates your secret identities. You need to transform and help him. Your Lucky Charm should be able to provide something that will assist him and then you can take him to a hospital."

"Ok." Marinette said with a nod. She didn't want to have to find out who Cat Noir was this way but it was clearly an emergence and she was concerned for him and would help him given the situation, even if it meant learning who he was under his mask. "Lead the way Plagg. Tikki, spots on!"

In seconds Marinette was Ladybug again. Plagg nodded his thanks and then shot up the side of the building. Spinning her yo-yo, Marinette launched it and followed the flying kwami up to the roof of the building.

Up there was a prone body lying by a patch of ice. Marinette instantly recognized the clothes and rushed over to his side at once, faster than she thought possible. Even if it wasn't who she saw, he was still Cat Noir, her hero partner, and she had to help him. However, it turned out that Cat Noir was none other than her love, Adrien and that made the situation ten times worse to Marinette.

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette yelled as soon as she was by his side.

The power gave her a thick, ladybug print blanket that she instantly wrapped around him. Adrien was cold to the touch and she knew that she needed to warm him up as quickly as possible. Once again her Lucky Charm had given her just what she needed.

"Is, is he ok otherwise?" Marinette asked Plagg as he flew over to her. "Can, can I hold him?"

"He had a concussion but otherwise he's fine as far as I can tell." Plagg said with a nod. "No other injuries that I could see when I inspected him. His breathing is normal, he's just out for the count. Give him a few minutes to warm up and he will come too I think. Then we can take him to the hospital to get checked out. However, it is a head and not a neck injury so you can move him, just be careful."

"Thank you." Marinette said with a nod as she sat down and slowly, carefully, shifted Adrien's head into her lap, looking lovingly down at him. There was no pain on Adrien's face but Marinette knew that it would come when he regained consciousness.

She held him there as she waited for him to warm up and come too, not knowing how long it would take. The time allowed Marinette to think about what she now knew. Adrien was Cat Noir, that much was obvious. The boy she loved was her superhero partner and he was hurt, she would care for him for as long as it took to make him better.

There was also one other development that Marinette realized as she held him. Adrien liked her back. True he didn't know who she was under the mask but that was almost certainly going to change given her impending time out while she was holding him, it still meant that he liked her. All those months, years, of pining after Adrien and all along he had liked her back and neither had know it. All that time that she had been rejecting Cat Noir because of Adrien only to realize that because of their secrets they had been unable to be together and yet still in love with one another. Marinette swore that that would change now.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a groan. Marinette looked down and smiled as Adrien began to come too. He was clearly in pain and his eyes weren't fully focused but he blinked up at her and took her in. At that particular moment, her miraculous timed out with a loud beep and as Adrien was watching, Marinette's transformation fell.

* * *

Adrien's head hurt, it hurt like hell. He had no idea why and every time he tried to think about it, another pang of pain shot through his head. The last thing he remembered was thinking about Ladybug as he slipped and then nothing.

Now, he was coming back to the world after god knows how long, though his eyes were still closed and Adrien didn't have the energy yet to open them. He was warm and his sore head was resting on something that didn't feel like the roof, it felt like someone's lap of all places. He didn't want to open his eyes but he knew that he had to. With a groan and a massive amount of effort he opened his eyes.

Everything was blurry, mainly red for some reason, and the bright sun did not help his head at all. He blinked a few times and the red blur above him came into focus. Adrien knew that his mind was addled somewhat but he was certain that it was in Ladybug. That meant that his head was in her lap, a good place to be despite the circumstances in his mind. His brain was too fuzzy to think straight or fully comprehend the situation though. All he knew was that he was with his lady and that helped.

That was when her earrings gave off a very loud and painful beep and her transformation fell. Adrien hoped to god that the transformation was real and not his mind because it meant that he finally had a face to the girl he loved. It was Marinette's face. He loved Marinette.

"Marinette? Is that you." Adrien croaked out, the words hard to form in his mind before speaking.

"Yes Adrien, it is me." Marinette said softly to him stroking his hair gently as Plagg and another kwami floated over him looking down on them with concern. "I am Ladybug and I know that you are Cat Noir. Plagg got me after you hurt yourself. Take it easy, you have a concussion. I'll take you to the hospital soon but you need to warm up and take it slow first. When you are ready we can go."

"Yeah, I'm a little dazed." Adrien admitted blinking some more and trying to coral his hazy mind. "Slow is good for me, never had a concussion before so I will listen to you. You, you really are Ladybug, aren't you Marinette?"

"Yes." Marinette said with a smile.

"Then you are the one." Adrien said with his own smile. "You are the one I love."

* * *

Marinette knew that Adrien's state made him dazed and a little confused but she also knew that the confession of love was real. Her heart swelled at that, the words she had wanted to hear for a long time had finally been spoken to her, admittedly not in the situation she had dreamed about but it was the words that mattered, not the situation.

"I love you too Adrien." Marinette said with warm smile at him, looking deep into his loving green eyes as she said it aloud to him for the first time. "I have ever since I first met you, the real you that is and not the you I thought you were because of Chloe. Now that we know the truth we can be together but first you need to see a doctor. After that, we can talk about all of this when you are ready and all healed up, I'm not going anywhere. I will always be with you my love. First though, do not fall asleep and you need warm up a bit more, then I will recharge Tikki, transform and get you out of here."

"Will do m'lady." Adrien muttered. "So long as you are holding me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Always my love, always." Marinette said smiling, glad that their secrets, all of them, were finally in the open.

Marinette didn't know how long they sat there before she transformed and helped Adrien to the hospital, which she did in the end, but she knew that the waiting in comfortable silence was right. Their secrets were out, admittedly not under the best of circumstances, but at least they were finally out. It meant that they could actually be together as Marinette had always dreamed about. Marinette knew that all would be right for them going forward and that was good enough for her. She loved Adrien, Cat Noir, and he loved her back, that was all they needed to conquer the world.

 **Another short and slightly sweet one given what happens. Tomorrow's one won't be a special New Year's one as I didn't think that far in advance to create one like I did with 'Mistletoe' for Christmas. However, like with this oneshot, tomorrow's one will be on the shorter side and it will come out at some point during the day and not in the morning as I normally try to make it. As usual, keep letting me know what you think in reviews or PMs, keep the suggestions coming, and keep letting me know what does or doesn't work. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	46. Autograph

**Here is the 46th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Happy New Year y'all! This is the 8th oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas blitz and the 5th of the 6 oneshots in this blitz that was suggested by the same follower who helps keep my oneshots varied, interesting and unique. As always, when I say I have written my shortest oneshot ever, I seem to be breaking that record pretty quickly and this one is no different as this is the now my shortest oneshot but it was a short and sweet prompt for me and perfect for this binge and my schedule after last night. The remaining 4 will all be on the longer side but I have less commitments so they will all be out on time, likely around the late afternoon to evening given the expected edit time. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Autograph.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Autograph** **\- Ladybug and Cat Noir are sitting on a roof enjoying a Jagged Stone concert in the distance that they couldn't go to because it is a school night. As they are listening, they talk about Jagged. During the conversation Adrien talks about getting the album designer's autograph to try and impress Ladybug. How will Marinette handle this given the fact that she only ever signed one copy, Adrien's?**

* * *

 **Autograph**

The music could easily be heard from where Adrien was sitting on the edge of a roof near the Eiffel Tower, which was a good thing because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hear it at all. Adrien should have been in his room because it was a school night. However, he and Ladybug had agreed to schedule a patrol the same day that Jagged Stone was playing a rock concert under the Eiffel Tower so that they could listen and enjoy it together, and be on hand just in case someone at the concert was akumatized. That was their justification for being here, but in reality it was just an excuse to listen to the concert.

After the Guitar Villain attack, Adrien had learned that his lady liked Jagged Stone just as much as he did, which was another thing that they had in common. That was why both of them were on the roof listening to the concert from afar, to enjoy it and to make sure that they could quickly intervene if someone was akumatized.

Given that it was a school night and as such, neither Adrien or Ladybug had apparently been allowed to go to the concert. That was why they had decided to schedule their patrol for today so that they could listen to it from a nearby rooftop. Adrien knew that they shouldn't do this but he also didn't care, he was on top of his homework and his extra curriculars so he deserved this break, even if it had to be as Cat Noir and had to be while he was technically on the hero clock.

"I love his music." Ladybug said breaking the comfortable silence that they had had since the concert had started.

"Same." Adrien replied with a smile and a glace at the girl he loved. "He's my favorite artist in the world."

"I can't decide between him and Clara Nightingale who I like more." Ladybug said truthfully. "I'm just a huge fan of both of them. Their music styles are different but both are so talented that I love them."

"I like Clara but I prefer rock to pop." Adrien said thinking back to the Parisian pop star who had almost inadvertently caused Adrien to reveal his secret to the world because of her tribute song to them and his father's insistence that he play Cat Noir in the video. "Hence why I like Jagged more but still listen to plenty of Clara as well. XY is just a fad in my opinion, some hipster who uses technology to create music so not a true musician in my book."

"Agreed." Ladybug said with a small nod. "He's nothing without tech and it is the music that makes the musician, not technology. He is nothing more than a gimmick who is taking advantage of the current tech loving culture at the moment."

"Well thanks to being akumatized, twice, Jagged is back on top and not going anywhere anytime soon." Adrien pointed out. "Who would have thought being akumatized would be a boost to one's professional career."

"Not me that's for sure." Ladybug agreed with a light laugh. "But it worked and now he's bigger than ever, which is good in my book."

"And yet still he's making his own music and doing what he can for Paris." Adrien said. "XY would never do that. He's just in it for the money and fame, not the pure music like Jagged or Clara."

"True." Ladybug said before pausing for a moment, clearly thinking about something while Adrien just listened to the music. "You know, I've met him a few times. Jagged that is not XY, and not just as Ladybug."

"Really?" Adrien said interested, Ladybug seldom gave away something about her civilian life so when she did Adrien was all ears, normal and weird cat miraculous ear things alike. "I'm jealous, I've only ever met him as Cat Noir and, well, as you know, it's hard to know truly meet people when we are transformed. There's always a divide when between us because we have saved them."

"Yeah, it's great for us because we have worked together for so long and understand the life we were chosen for, but to those we save, we are heroes and that will always separate us, no matter how much we try to avoid being raised on a pedestal." Ladybug said with a sigh. "I love saving Paris and helping people out however I can, but the spotlight can be a little bright at times."

"Agreed." Adrien said knowing all too well what Ladybug meant. "But it is the life we were chosen to lead. We have to do this because need to stop Hawk Moth."

"We will, once we find out where the coward is holed up." Ladybug said firmly. "Then we will get that bastard and send him to prison for as long as possible."

"That's about 30 years under French law." Adrien said automatically getting a strange glance from his lady at his knowledge. "What? I have studied the justice system here a little, just to see what kind of punishment Hawk Moth is likely to get when we bring him to justice. Under the Akuma Law, all crimes committed by an akumatized individual are considered crimes committed by Hawk Moth and not his victims, with a terrorism enhancer given his crimes. In addition, the law states that all sentences for crimes committed in violation of the Akuma Act are to be served consecutively up to the max allowed without parole under French law. Because Hawk Moth has committed so many, they add up to that limit. However, that limit in France, even for murder, is 30 years without parole. After 30 years he will be eligible parole, though I hope it is never granted to him. Of course Hawk Moth will have to serve it in a supermax facility if we catch him but he could be out one day if he outlives the sentence limit."

"Huh, well 30 years isn't long enough." Ladybug said darkly. "Not for what he's done to Paris."

"Agreed, he's an example of why the American system sometimes works." Adrien said with a nod. "There he'd get life without parole for his crimes, and in America that means he will die in prison, no exceptions. Not here, even if 30 years is still a long time before he's eligible for parole."

"Well let's catch him first." Ladybug said as Jagged began a new song that Adrien had never heard before. "Then we take him down and make sure he gets the maximum sentence."

"Agreed." Adrien said and then paused, their conversation had gotten a little dark and depressing so he decided to bring the conversation back to what they had been discussing before. "So, what's Jagged like? You know, when he's not fawning over us as heroes. What is is like when you are in civilian form?"

"Oh, he's great, real old school rocker minus the drugs and with more eccentricities than I thought possible." Ladybug said, clearly happy to change the topic back to something they both enjoyed. "He's interesting and fun to be around. He knows me and likes me which helps our relationship a lot."

"Lucky." Adrien said with a sigh. "He seems like a fun guy to be around, he has a tamed crocodile that is always by his side for Christ's sake."

"Fang is an acquired taste." Ladybug said with some slight hesitation. "He's not for everyone."

"True." Adrien said remembering Fang's akumatized form more than anything else. "All I can claim regarding Jagged is that I have his latest album, you know the really nicely designed one with the real leather smell, autographed."

"Impressive but Jagged signs almost anything placed in front of him, so long as it isn't a legally binding contract." Ladybug pointed out. "So not a great claim their kitty."

"Ah but that's where you're wrong bugaboo." Adrien said with a smirk. "I never said it was Jagged who autographed it. No, I got it signed by the designer herself. She's a good friend of mine so I had her sign the most popular album cover of the year for me. That is a claim because while she gets the royalties of the design, she is pretty anonymous and few know who actually made the impressive album design. They just think it's some professional designer but my friend is leagues better than any professional and she's our age."

Adrien glanced over at Ladybug and smiled at her slack jawed reaction to his statement. She was clearly impressed with how he had got the actual designer to sign it, not many people could claim that and he was one of them. Yes, Ladybug was definitely impressed with him for this, so they were sort of even seeing as she seemed to know Jagged personally and actually had a friendship with the rock star.

* * *

Marinette's mouth fell open in shock at what Cat Noir had just said. Having a signed copy of the latest Jagged Stone album wasn't a surprise, plenty of fans had those because all you had to do to get one was be in the front of a concert and he's sign it, but to have it signed by her and to claim to know that she designed was something else entirely. Of course, she knew that Cat Noir was referring to her as Marinette and not as Ladybug but still, the fact he had it been an utter shock. It meant that she and Cat Noir knew each other in their civilian life.

The shock was compounded by the fact that because Cat Noir didn't know who she was under the mask, he was unaware that she was the designer of the album cover in question. That also meant that he was unaware of the fact that Marinette had only ever signed one copy of the album. That copy had been Adrien's and she had signed it, after recovering from the shock of the request, at Adrien's request because of her design skills.

"How did you manage that?" Marinette asked after a long silence. She needed to confirm that Cat Noir was indeed talking about her album because if he was then there were some big problems for them going forward, the information he was providing was too personal. "I hear it is very hard to find out who designed that album."

"It is but she's a good friend of mine form class." Cat Noir said with his usual cocky smirk.

Marinette could tell that he thought she was impressed and not shocked at the fact that he knew that she had designed the album as a civilian. This was not a good sign, everything was pointing in one direction that Marinette did not want to think about. It was the one rule that they had sworn to never break.

"Why though?" Marinette asked with a little hesitation that Cat Noir clearly did not pick up on.

"Cos she's an amazing designer, the most talented one I know, and I wanted her to sign it because of how impressive it was." Cat Noir said with his usual cocky grin. "I asked her before class to do so. She thought I wanted Jagged's autograph on it but I only wanted hers. She signed it, after first collapsing for some reason, but getting it signed was the important thing. I keep it on my desk at home because of the signature."

That confirmed it. There was now no doubt in Marinette's mind as to who Cat Noir was. He was Adrien Agreste, the boy she was madly in love with. Her akuma fighting partner, who she knew loved her, was Adrien.

That was a lot to take in. Not least the fact that Adrien was Cat Noir, that was a shock in and of itself but what was even more of a shock was the love square aspect of their feelings for each other. She loved Adrien, he was Cat Noir, Cat Noir loved Ladybug, and she was Ladybug. It made her head hurt but in a good way when she thought about it. It also meant that if she told him who she was then they might get together at last. Her dreams might actually come true, something she didn't think would ever happen.

Marinette wanted to tell Adrien, she wanted to tell him right now because of what it would lead to and the fact that she knew and he didn't. It was time for their identities to be known to each other, Adrien had accidentally forced the issue but Marinette knew that she was ready to trust him with hers as well.

First, though, she had to recover from the compliment he had just paid her. Adrien thought she was one of the best designers he knew. Coming from Adrien that meant a lot, not only because of her love for him but also because of the fact that Adrien knew designers because of his modeling and to be compared to actual professions by Adrien was a huge compliment. Add on the fact that he kept her autographed album design on his desk so that he would always see it, well it took all of her Ladybug confidence to not melt into an incoherent mess right there.

"The album wasn't the only thing I designed for Jagged." Marinette said once she had marshaled her thoughts and decided how best to let Adrien know who she was. "I also made his Eiffel Tower sunglasses that he is so proud of. In fact, those where what got me the album design job in the first place and what helped form a friendship with him."

* * *

Adrien's mouth fell open. Did Ladybug just admit to who she was? She must have because Adrien knew that the album designer also designed Jagged's sunglasses, a fact few knew. Was she really his love? Adrien had to confirm it.

"Marinette?"

"Figured it out I see, Adrien." Marinette said with a smile at him.

"It wasn't hard." Adrien said with a smile of his own. "You gave it away pretty easily."

"Only because you gave yourself away first." Marinette pointed out. "Pretty badly I might add given the fact that I have only ever signed one copy of Jagged's new album."

"True, not my brightest moment of my life." Adrien said and he knew he was blushing slightly from embarrassment. "In my defense, I didn't know that you were Ladybug so I didn't realize I was giving myself away until you revealed who you were. As I said, not my brightest moment."

"I'll give you that." Marinette said as she shifted closer to him for some reason and playfully flicked the bell at his neck. "Otherwise you wouldn't have given yourself away kitty."

Adrien just gave Marinette an embarrassed smile. On instinct, Adrien put and arm around Marinette's waist and she snuggled up towards him, resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to listen to the concert. There was definitely something else that Marinette wasn't telling him but right now Adrien was so happy to care.

They sat there in a comfortable silence just listening to the concert and holding each other on the roof. They didn't transform, there was no need to even if no one was watching, and they didn't talk, they just listened.

There would be time to talk later regarding what had just changed between them but that time would come, for now Adrien was content to hold his lady, his love, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and listen to Jagged stone, glad that their secrets were finally out in the open, even if it was by accident. It was a happy accident, one that Adrien knew he would never regret so long as he was with Marinette. The night had been perfect, well worth sneaking out for.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot with a slight cliffhanger for y'all, not the worst one I've ever done but still a small one just to keep things interesting. Tomorrow's will be longer and released in the afternoon/evening but it is one I am looking forward to writing. The sentencing rules in France, which I have researched for a future oneshot, have the longest sentence before parole is eligible as 30 years. You can get a life sentence in France just as Adrien describes it, however there is no life without parole in France unless there are certain circumstances that require indefinite confinement. Anyway, that is all for this post chapter note, as always keep letting me know what you think in your reviews, keep the suggestions coming, and keep letting me know if I am making grammar mistakes. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	47. Quest

**Here is the 47th total and what is technically the 7th bonus oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the 9th (and latest in the day of) oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas post hiatus oneshot binge. This is classified as a bonus oneshot because it is a self generated prompt idea of mine to ensure that I got a Q oneshot (though another has been suggested and will come out later this month). Also, this is the longest in the binge so far and should only be exceeded by the final oneshot in the 12 days binge but expect the 10th and 11th day oneshots to be of similar length and release times. That is all for now, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Quest.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Quest** **\- While spying on Adrien, Marinette accidentally overhears him talking to Plagg and using his kwami's name. This allows Marinette to figure out that Adrien is Cat Noir. After thinking it over, freaking out, and some wise and sage advice from Tikki, Marinette comes up with a plan. She will lay out a quest for Adrien during their patrol the next night. He will have to figure out a handful of clues at different locations, each providing a new personal detail about Ladybug's identity, to find her, figure out who she is, and finally be with her, all before the clock strike 12. Can Adrien complete this in time? Will he figure out Marinette's identity? Will the heroes of Paris final be with their love? Time is ticking and a quest must be completed.  
**

* * *

 **Quest**

Marinette had to control a sigh of contentment as she watched Adrien get his fencing gear out of his locker and start to get ready for his practice. Of course, he didn't know that Marinette was watching him, he never did when she was spying on him, so she got an uninterrupted period of admiring him.

That lack of interruption extended to Alya as well. Fencing practice was after school and today Nino was taking Alya to a DJ battle that he was going to participate in so they had gone home right after school to prepare for it. That meant that Marinette had no one to tell her off or annoy her, other than perhaps a disapproving look from Tikki, while she stared lovingly at Adrien, it was perfect.

Normally, on fencing days at least, Marinette would go to one of the upstairs balconies and look down into the courtyard to spy on Adrien as he fenced, and she still planned to do that today, not the locker room. However, today Marinette had coincidentally, and it was an honest coincidence, been in the locker room when Adrien walked in. He hadn't seen here so Marinette had hidden and watched him from afar out of panic and surprise. Regardless, it was a good view so she wasn't complaining.

It was as Marinette was watching Adrien closely, that was when she saw it. As Adrien opened his fencing bag to get his helmet out, a small black blur shot out of it and into his locker causing Adrien to turn. Marinette knew of only one thing that could cause such a strange, gravity defying, blur but she highly doubted that it was what she thought it was.

Still, curiosity got the better of her when Adrien turned and glared into his locker right after the blur for some reason. Creeping as quietly as possible and hoping that her natural clumsiness did not get the better of her as it usual did and give herself away, Marinette crept towards the locker. For once luck was on her side and she managed to get close enough to Adrien's locker to overhear what Adrien was now saying quietly into his locker.

"…don't care what you think, do not leave here." Adrien was saying firmly shaking his head slightly. "You already ate all the cheese I brought today, which was more than usual because of practice, you are not going to the cafeteria while I am fencing to eat the school's supply of it."

"Come on, I wasn't going to finish all of it." A high pitched, male sounding voice that Marinette recognized but couldn't place at the moment said. The voice had a slight whine to it but Marinette knew that it was a false whine as it continued to speak. "Just most of it. They keep it stored, I know where, I can be in and out in minutes with no one the wiser. They'll just think mice or something grabbed it. Please, she's my gooey goddess."

"No Plagg, we have had this conversation before." Adrien said and Marinette had to clamp her hands over her mouth to avoid gasping and giving herself away. She knew that the blur had been a kwami and that the voice had sounded familiar and this confirmed it, Adrien knew Plagg.

"You are not stealing from the school and that is final." Adrien said sternly. "You have had more than enough Camembert for one day, it's enough that I have to carry that stinky cheese around all day, I am not carrying any more than I have too just to satisfy your greed and insatiable appetite. You will wait here while I go to class just in case there is an akuma attack and then we will go home like we usually do. If you behave yourself, then when we get home perhaps I can arrange some more cheese with dinner."

"I always behave myself." Plagg said innocently, so innocently that Marinette did not buy it for a moment. "Especially when it comes down to the chance for more cheese."

"Now why don't I believe that." Adrien said with a laugh.

"Because you know me." Plagg replied smoothly. "Don't worry I will stay here out of sight as always, nothing will happen. Just make sure that it is extra gooey tonight."

"If you behave, I'll see what I can do." Adrien said as he put his right hand on his locker door and Marinette saw the silver ring he always wore there, a ring she now realized was identical to Cat Noir's except for its color. "See you later Plagg."

Adrien then closed his locker and turned to leave. Marinette quickly shifted her position so that she was not in Adrien's line of sight as he left the locker room. In short order Marinette heard the door close as Adrien headed off to practice but still she didn't move.

Marinette waited long after the door had closed before checking to make sure the coast was clear. Once she did, she grabbed her bag and instantly went home, she had a lot to think about on the way and for once did not want to watch Adrien fencing, she had other shit on her mind that was a lot bigger than her love for Adrien, though it still pertained to him. She needed to get home and talk to Tikki about this right away.

That bigger shit was one thing and one thing only. Adrien was Cat Noir. There was absolutely no doubting it. He had been talking to Plagg, who she knew was Cat Noir's kwami, and by the sound of their conversation Adrien knew Plagg very well. He clearly knew the kwami as well as she knew Tikki based on that conversation and only a Miraculous Holder knew their kwami that well.

Then there had been his ring. It was clearly Cat Noir's only without Plagg in it. She had never thought about it before but then again it was silver and Cat Noir's black with the paw print on it. It had never crossed Marinette's mind to think about the ring before, or even Adrien as Cat Noir, it was just something she didn't associate Adrien with. Marinette knew that she should have put two and two together given how a miraculous always changes when it is not inhabited by its kwami but she had been too distracted by everything else about Adrien to focus on his ring.

However, as she walked and thought about it more, the more Marinette realized that it made sense. Adrien was seldom around during an akuma attack, he almost always disappeared right after the akuma was spotted and reappeared right after it had been beaten, the same way she did and when the attack occurred within their vicinity, Cat Noir was always there as fast, if not faster than her. It all made sense but she had never connected the dots before, perhaps because she was always focusing on her own excuses and transformations to notice Cat Noir's.

Even on the few occasions that Adrien had been seen with an akuma, Gorizilla and Riposte came to Marinette's mind instantly, he had hidden while Marinette had fought them and Cat Noir had been late to those two attacks, arriving right after she had lost sight of him. Adrien must have used that super fan as a cover against Gorizilla so that he could change, it would explain a lot.

It also explained why Marinette had to work with Plagg to defeat Style Queen, Adrien had been turned to glitter without Plagg because he had been alone on the catwalk at the time and couldn't help her out. Adrien hadn't exactly lost his miraculous, that had been Master Fu's cover story to protect his identity, he had been unable to access it hence why she had to face Style Queen with Plagg and not Cat Noir.

Then there was the fact that Adrien had never been akumatized. Marinette had never really thought about that until now but now she realized that Adrien was one of the few people who she knew who hadn't been akumatized, the rest of their class had been, a few multiple times. Marinette had just chalked it up to Adrien's history of disappointment from his father making him impervious to extremely negative emotions that led to akumatizations. Now, she wasn't so sure given how she knew to avoid becoming upset, and sometimes failing, to avoid an akuma. Adrien likely was doing that as well, hence why he hadn't been akumatized, and he was likely better than her given her own close calls with past akumas.

It was a lot to think about, so much in fact that Marinette was still thinking about it when she got home a few minutes later. Then again, it wasn't every day that you find out that the love of your life was also your flirtatious superhero partner who kept asking you out. It gave a girl a lot to think about. Now that she was home, Marinette needed to talk to Tikki to sort this shit out.

She went into her home and was glad to see that her parents were still working in the bakery, she wasn't up to dealing with them at the moment seeing as she couldn't explain why she wasn't feeling quite like herself at the moment. Quickly, Marinette headed up to her room. As soon as the trapdoor was closed she opened her purse and Tikki shot out to hover in front of her, a sad, reluctant look on her cute little face.

"Adrien is Cat Noir, isn't he?" Marinette asked her kwami is a quiet, hesitant voice. Marinette already believed that to be true but Tikki would confirm it. "Tell me the truth Tikki, I know you know, I just need to confirm it."

"Adrien is Cat Noir, you are correct." Tikki said with a resigned sigh. "You weren't meant to find out, especially not like this, but there is no denying it anymore. You saw him with Plagg, the proof was overwhelming. All I ask Marinette is that you do not address it and do not freak out."

The freak out ship had sailed as soon as Marinette had learned that Adrien was Cat Noir and this needed to to be addressed right away. She also had the confirmation that her love was Cat Noir, how the fuck was she not going to freak out at this.

"Tikki, how can I not freak out." Marinette said as he dropped her book bag and dramatically flopped down on her chaise, only to misjudged the distance and bounce off it to land in a heap on the floor. Marinette grumbled but did not try to get up and continued her freak out from the floor. "He's the love of my life and also the cocky, flirty, Cat Noir. I can barely avoid becoming a clumsy mess around Adrien normally, even as Ladybug, and most of the time I fail at that. How the hell am I going to be able to be Ladybug around Cat Noir now that I know the truth. Not only do I know who he is but he also happens to be the love of my life who turns me into a weak kneed lovesick schoolgirl, which I admit I am, with just a smile. Then there is class, knowing that Adrien is Cat Noir and not saying anything, my concentration will be shot and that is not good at all. What am I going to do Tikki?"

"Well for one thing you are going to take a deep breath and calm down." Tikki said reassured her. "This isn't the first time I've done this. It happens more often than you think. When one of our holders learns the identity of another they tend to get a little worked up, especially when they love each other."

"Ok, ok I can try." Marinette said taking a deep breath and sitting up, trying to calm herself as best she could.

"Good now I want you to think on this." Tikki said flying close to her. "What does Adrien being Cat Noir really mean?"

"That my love is secretly Cat Noir and it might affect my ability to fight alongside him if I am crushing on him and worried about him during a fight." Marinette said as the panic began to build again when she said it out loud. "I don't want to see Adrien hurt so I might do something I regret when we next face an akuma."

"True there is that." Tikki said with a nod. "But there is also the one thing that in you panic you have overlooked. Cat Noir loves Ladybug."

"What does that have to do with this?" Marinette asked before it suddenly hit her. Adrien was Cat Noir and Cat Noir loved her. "Oh, this means that Adrien loves me but doesn't know that he loves me. Right?"

"Correct." Tikki said with a happy smile. "See, there is always a better way to look at this."

"Adrien love me, he really loves me and he doesn't even know it." Marinette said as the culmination of everything from learning that Adrien was Cat Noir to realizing that he loved her finally hit her and she fainted. At least Marinette didn't have to fall far before she hit her bedroom floor, again.

* * *

"Well at least that calmed her down." Tikki mutter as she shook her head at her unconscious human. "Still, not the worst reaction I have seen to this news, not by a long shot."

Tikki turned and floated over to the sink. There, and with great effort given her small size, Tikki turned the cold water on. She waited for it get as cold as possible before she filled the small cup Marinette had bought specifically for her to use. Then Tikki turned off the tap and floated back to Marinette with the cup of water in her paws.

In one swift move Tikki poured the entire cup of cold water onto Marinette's face. That should bring her spluttering back to consciousness and clear her mind so that she could think straight. Marinette was right on one thing, she needed to sort this shit out now.

* * *

Marinette felt the cold water hit her face and she instantly came too. she sat up in a swift motion that did not do her head any good as she spluttered and glared at Tikki. Her kwami was holding her empty water glass and had an innocent look on her face despite knowing full well how guilty she was.

"Good your back." Tikki said as she flew over to Marinette's desk to put the cup down. "I would apologize but that was the only way I could think of to quickly wake you. Now we need to figure out what to do about all this. My advice is that you not say anything to Adrien and try to act normal. One secret identity being out is bad enough but if both are out then it is probably worse."

"Tikki, do you really think I am going to listen to that." Marinette said as she got up and went to grab a face towel to dry herself. "I can't. I have to tell him."

"Why?" Tikki asked seriously. "With Hawk Moth out there it's not safe for you to know his identity, let alone both of you knowing each other's."

"Three reasons." Marinette said as she dried herself and cleared her head. Initially she hadn't known what to do but now Marinette knew for certain what had to happen, she had to tell Adrien the truth. "One is for fairness. I know Adrien's secret but he doesn't know mine and he deserves to know, it is only fair. The second is that I am such a mess around Adrien that if I am like that around him as Cat Noir when I am Ladybug then he will realize something is wrong, this way he knows and can help. It also ties into my third reason."

"And that is?" Tikki asked with another sigh of resignation, this time at Marinette's plan.

"Adrien loves me but doesn't know it." Marinette said with a smile as she turned to her kwami to explain herself. "That is because he loves Ladybug, who's identity he doesn't know but who he knows because he is Cat Noir and that is how he fell in love with her. As such, he doesn't know that I love him, the person I have been turning Cat Noir down for because I didn't know his identity. This way, when he finds out that I know who he is under his mask and that he is the boy I love we can hopefully be together when I tell him the truth. Or more precisely, when he figures out the truth."

"That…is very confusing." Tikki said, her head cocked slightly. "But I can see the reason. Very well, I will not try to stop you because this is your decision, not mine. How will you tell him?"

"That is the million-euro question is it not." Marinette said as she turned back to her desk and pulled out a paper and pen. "However, as soon as I figured out that I had to tell Adrien, I also figured out the best way to do so as well."

"And that is?" Tikki asked. "Couldn't you just show him before your patrol tomorrow."

"No that's too simple." Marinette said shaking her head as she began to write on the paper. She didn't know where this idea came from but she knew that it felt right. "What I am going to do is tell him I know who he is under his mask, that I love him and that if he wants to find me he has until the end of the patrol to find several clues throughout Paris that relate to us as Ladybug and Cat Noir. In addition, each clue will give him a little bit of info about my identity with the goal of him figuring it out by the time we meet. Perfect, right?"

"Convoluted, confusing and overthought." Tikki said shaking her head. "Plagg would totally approve of it, that kwami cannot do anything simply other than eat cheese. He always over complicates everything he does for some annoying reason, honestly I think he does it on purpose just to annoy me but I digress. This idea sounds fun and a little different to what I have seen in the past. How can I help?"

Marinette smiled as she gave Tikki the paper to read and fold up. Yes, by the end of the day tomorrow she would be with Adrien and all their secrets would be out, he just had to earn it first. She would send him all over Paris to relive some of their greatest memories or key associations that they had as he hunted for her and her love. It was perfect. Marinette was going to send Adrien on a quest, a quest for love.

* * *

Adrien landed on their planned rooftop for tonight's patrol on time as always. He always got here on time so that he could wait for his lady and because he had to get home at a certain time so punctuality was important to maximize his time with the girl he loved. As usual his lady wasn't here. However, there was something in the center of the roof that shouldn't be there.

In the center of the roof, underneath what looked like a small box of black and red macaroons of all things, was a letter. Bending down and picking up the unmarked box of macaroons, Adrien would enjoy the sweet treat if it was for him, was a letter in a pinkish envelope that was addressed to him. Turning it over, Adrien noticed that it had been sealed with a kiss, a strange but interesting sign.

Smiling, Adrien open it, praying that it was from his lady. Perhaps she had finally decided to give him a chance. It was indeed from Ladybug, written in a delicate hand that looked slightly familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place it. The letter wasn't precisely what Adrien had expected, not that it was unwelcome though.

 _Cat Noir,_

 _I am sorry that I am not here to meet you, I have had a lot on my mind recently and I felt that this is the best way to express it. The other day I accidentally overheard you talking to Plagg. Yes, I know who he is, we have worked together in the past, so there is no talking your way out of it. As a fellow Miraculous Holder, you know that if I saw this then I saw your civilian identity. I am sorry that I accidentally found out, know that this was not my intent. However, this accident has been fortuitous for us, as you will learn tonight. That is if you can figure it all out._

 _It has been fortuitous because of who you are under your mask. As you know, I have been rejecting your advances for a while now because I am in love with someone else. I couldn't be with you when my heart belonged to another. That other, is, well this is confusing and a little awkward, you. I am in love with you but didn't know it until I learned who you were under the mask. The boy I turned you down for was you in civilian form if that makes sense. I know this is confusing but for obvious reasons I cannot say your civilian name in this letter so hopefully I am making sense. I am sorry for this and that our pact to not reveal our identities caused this but know that I do love you and I do want to be with you. If you can figure out what I want you to figure out that is._

 _I want to be with you and I want you to know who I am under my mask as well so that there are no more secrets between us. As such I am tasking you with a quest, a quest you have to complete by the end of this patrol, which is when the clock strikes 12, to claim my love tonight. You have to solve each clue to find where the next one is and each of these notes will have a fact about my civilian life. The more you find, the easier it will be to figure out who and where I am. That first fact is that I hate horror movies._

 _As for the first clue you must locate in your quest, well it is the first so I may as well be nostalgic and poetic. The first clue is tied to the very first thing you ever destroyed with your Cataclysm, an easy clue. The quest is on kitty, come and get me and claim your long-awaited love._

 _Your Love,_

 _Ladybug_

 _P.S. I made these macaroons for you and to hold the letter down. They are a treat for my love, as well as a bonus clue for you. I eagerly await your arrival kitty._

Adrien had to read the letter again, this time while eating a delicious macaroon that was as good as anything his friend Marinette could bake and macaroons were her specialty, he had never had a better one than one that she had baked in his life, though these macaroons were as close to Marinette's as possible. After rereading it, Adrien smiled. He didn't care that Ladybug knew who he was, he had been prepared to tell her for a long time he just wanted to wait until she was ready.

It turned out that she was finally ready and that she already loved him, all it had taken was for her to learn his secret identity to push her over that edge. It was funny that he had been rejected for himself, that was something they could laugh at when this was all done. It also meant that he knew who Ladybug was in real life, hence her personal clues, but Adrien decided to wait until he had all of those clues before trying to figure out who she was, he wanted to see the bigger picture when the time came.

That could all wait though, Adrien had to finish this quest first, he would learn who his lady was and he would be with her by the time the night was over. He had to actually figure out where the other clues were hidden first.

Tonight, was certainly going to be fun. He had a quest to complete in order to finally be with his love and he knew exactly where the next clue was. Attaching the letter and macaroon box to his belt, Adrien extended his staff and set off into the night, heading to where he first used his Cataclysm. As Ladybug had said, it was an easy clue.

* * *

Adrien found the next letter rolled around one of the goalposts and tied with blue yarn in the Stade de France. It had been pretty obvious to him where he had to go. This was the place where he and Ladybug had first fought an akuma the day that they got their miraculouses, that akuma being Stoneheart, and where he had foolishly used his Cataclysm to destroy this very goalpost and wasted his power due to his eagerness and inexperience. Adrien had learned since then.

Again, it was the same color envelope, sealed with a kiss, and written in a delicate, slightly familiar, hand. There was a slight perfumed scent to it that Adrien had smelled before and not as Cat Noir but he couldn't quite place it. Still, he eagerly opened the letter from Ladybug to see the next set of clues and where to go next for his quest.

 _Cat Noir,_

 _Congratulations! You have found the first letter in your quest and a new piece of information about me. This wasn't that hard of a clue if I am being honest but fitting for us as this is where we first fought as a team. Back then I was so scared, I did not believe I was worthy of my miraculous and the responsibilities of it given my own insecurities and personality. I also thought you were a cocky git who didn't listen and wasted your power when we needed it. You're still a cocky git but you're my cocky git and you know when to use your power, most of the time. It was only right to have this be the first stop on the quest._

 _First my next piece of personal information. I am a huge fan and a skilled player of Mecha Strike III. Seeing as this is where we faced off against Gamer I thought that that would be the perfect piece of info to give you here and it will help in the end._

 _Now for the hint to the next location in your quest to find your love. I have placed the next letter somewhere on the roof above the room of the person who has caused us the most grief with akumas because she has been the reason for the negative emotions that led to several akumatizations. I am unsure if she is responsible for the most akumas as I am guilty of being responsible for more than I can count, or am willing to admit, but she has a reputation for it and most of mine have been accidental. It is atop that roof and has the next clue in the quest regarding both where I am and who I am._

 _I'm waiting for you kitty, you have until midnight. Don't keep me waiting._

 _Your Love,_

 _Ladybug._

 _P.S. This letter has received a squirt of my personal perfume, one you will have smelt on me in our normal lives._

Adrien smiled, again this clue was straightforward. There was only one person who had a known reputation for causing numerous akumas, Chloe Bourgeois. True his friend Marinette had a been responsible for 6 or 7 if Adrien's memory served correctly, but none of those had been because of Marinette's deliberate actions, more confusion, misunderstandings, and frustration. Chloe had deliberately caused several akumas because of her mean nature, at least 12 that Adrien could think of off the top of his head.

That meant that the next clue was going to be somewhere atop the Grand Paris Hotel. Extending his staff, Adrien vaulted out of the stadium and into the night, heading for Paris's most luxurious and exclusive hotel.

* * *

It took Adrien a little longer to find the letter on top of the Grand Paris than he had expected. He still found it though. This time it was under a table leg, around the place where they had defeated Despair Bear together, with Chloe's aid for once. Again, it was sealed with a kiss and again Adrien eagerly opened it and read it to find the next clue and piece of information that would lead to the identity of his love underneath her mask.

 _Cat Noir,_

 _Almost their kitty! Only one more clue after this (I didn't want to wait all night for you and I only had a day to set this up, I'm not Leslie Knope) but it is an important one. I chose this location because, though she has gotten better and as Queen Bee she has been a huge asset to us at times, Chloe is still Chloe. She has been responsible for over a dozen akumas without any remorse or apology and we have fought at the Grand Paris probably more than any other place in Paris, at least I think so, therefore this place is somewhat special to us._

 _It is also the place where I first helped you as a civilian. Of course, you were tied up to your staff and being dangled off a roof at the time and didn't know it wasn't me as Ladybug when we faced Antibug. It happened because I had timed out and Tikki hadn't recharged so I had to help you without her for a little bit, and I had to realize that I couldn't do everything alone and had to accept help when it was offered and admit when I needed it. Fitting in my mind given that you will see my civilian face before the night is over._

 _Anyway, the personal information I owe you with this clue. Chloe is my civilian nemesis, my Hawk Moth if you will when we aren't powered up. I know Chloe is disliked by many but my rivalry with her, which includes the fact that we both have crushes on you, is more intense. She hates me the most, always has, and we have been rivals for years. It has gotten worse because I have grown more confident in challenging her and standing up to her._

 _The next and last location on your quest before you reach me is that you will find it in the location most common amongst the akumatized villains we have faced. That is to say that it is where most people who have been akumatized have some direct connection. I can't wait all night kitty, hurry up and come to your lady before the clock strikes qw._

 _Your Love,_

 _Ladybug._

 _P.S. I also have a similar rivalry with Kagami._

Adrien furrowed his brow at that clue, it was more cryptic than usual. Not impossible but required a little more thought than he expected. Still he knew where to go. Almost all of their class, everyone but himself and Marinette in fact, plus a few other students, teachers and parents, had been akumatized. In fact almost all of the akumas they had faced had a tie to a specific location in Paris. That meant that there was only one location that Ladybug could be refereeing to; Francois Dupont High School.

* * *

The letter was easy to find. It was wedged in the rim of the basketball hoop in the school's courtyard. All it took was a leap for Adrien to grab it, and then take a practice dunk before dropping to the ground. Once he had it, Adrien refrained from opening it right away. Instead he vaulted up to the roof and found a quiet place to sit, eat the rest of the macaroons he still had with him and read the final clue. Then he could mull over the information and figure out who his lady was.

 _Cat Noir,_

 _If you are reading this then you are but one location away from me but please figure out who I am first. I know who you are so do me this favor before you come to see me. Once you have figured it out, come find me atop the structure where we first learned of Hawk Moth's existence and plan. It is also where I realized that I was the right choice for Ladybug, where I accepted the responsibility that had been trust upon me by the Ladybug Miraculous, and where I would fight with you to find and capture Hawk Moth and take his miraculous so that it could no longer be used for evil._

 _The final personal piece of information is, as with the other ones, related to this location. I am in your class. There, that should be enough my love. Come and find me before the clock strikes 12 (sorry for all these cliches but it kinda felt right to have them given the complicated nature of our love)._

 _Your Love,_

 _Ladybug._

There was no P.S to the last letter but Adrien didn't mind, he was one location away from his lady and the love of his life. One location away from finally being with Ladybug.

Adrien knew where she was, that was pretty obvious, and unbeknownst to her, it was also where he fell in love with her, the same moment she realized that she was the right choice for Ladybug and the right girl for him, mask or not. However, she had asked him to figure out who she was first and then come and Adrien was going to do just that, he owed her that much after all she had done to set up this quest for him. It was time to figure out the clues.

The horror movie clue, the first one he had been given, was more of a confirmation but it already allowed him to zero in on a particular girl in his class, the only one he knew had expressed a distinct dislike for that genre, Marinette. That fit with the third clue as Marinette was in his class so Adrien's gut was telling him that he was on the right path. Add the fact that Chloe seemed to really hate Marinette and see her as a rival and Marinette felt the same about Chloe and the fact that Marinette was the only girl in their class who could even play Mecha Strike III with any skill, let alone be the best in their class at it, ensured that Marinette fell into all three clue categories with surprising ease.

There wasn't anyone else in class who met those three facts. Sabrina was out because of her friendship with Chloe. Chloe was out because she was part of the hunt and wouldn't do this. Mylene and Alya had boyfriends so they were out and Rose, Juleka and Lila had all been akumatized meaning that they couldn't be Ladybug, and Adrien was pretty certain that at least Juleka wasn't into guys. Alix was the only other girl in class who played Mecha Strike III but she wasn't great at it and only played it occasionally.

Marinette by contrast had never been akumatized, the only other person in their class with that honor despite two close calls according to her. All this helped solidify Adrien's belief that Marinette was Ladybug.

Then there were the supplemental clues in the post scripts that she had left him. Marinette wore that perfume, Adrien was sure of it. He wasn't entirely sure how he knew that scent, perhaps it was their dance at Chloe's party or the kiss she gave him at the park after Heroes' day, but he knew that Marinette wore it and another sniff of the third letter confirmed it in his mind. Then there was the rivalry with Kagami. Kagami liked him, she had made it clear, so if she was a rival of Marinette's in a similar way to how Chloe was a rival, it meant that Marinette liked him as well, something Adrien had never noticed. Marinette had been good at hiding her feeling for him from him it seemed.

Adrien pulled out the last macaroon, another fact that pointed to Marinette given her baking skills when it came to macaroons and how good these ones were and smiled when he noticed something under the last macaroon in the box that he had missed while he had been eating them along the way. The last macaroon had been hiding the store's logo in the box. It was small but Adrien instantly recognized it as Tom and Sabine's, Marinette's parents.

There was now no doubt left in Adrien's mind who Ladybug was. She was Marinette, which meant that his love was Marinette and she awaited him. Getting up and storing the box and letters, Adrien extended his baton and vaulted into the night. He was coming for his lady. His love and the end of his quest awaited him atop the symbol of Paris herself, the Eiffel Tower.

* * *

There she was, waiting for him, right where he expected her to be. Marinette, transformed into Ladybug, stood on the observation platform atop the Eiffel Tower with its panoramic view of a moonlight Paris as the clock began to strike 12. Adrien had deleberatly waited until this moment just for the cliche value alone. Marinette was smiling as she stood in a heart made of rose petals awaiting his arrival.

Adrien smiled as he landed on the platform and looked at her. He had found his lady and he had figured it all out, his quest was finally at an end. Not just his quest tonight, but his longer quest, a quest for Ladybug's love.

"Well you found me." Marinette said breaking the silence as he walked to the edge of the heart and no further, Adrien needed to confirm who she was first despite have no doubts. "Now, did you figure it out, do you know who I am Adrien?"

"I do, Marinette." Adrien said using her real name for the first time to her superhero face just as she had used his a second before. "It wasn't hard to figure out who the girl I love is from your clues, though I doubt anyone else would be able to figure it all out. I am here for you bugaboo. Plagg, claws in."

Adrien let his transformation drop in full view of Ladybug at last and stood there, confirming himself to her. Adrien was glad that they finally knew who the other was and that their secrets were out. He had completed his quest.

* * *

"I love you too Adrien." Marinette said as Adrien Agreste stood before having dropped his Cat Noir transformation in her presence for the first time, something that would take a little getting used to. "I have for a long time, it was only when I learned that you were Cat Noir did I realize what had to be done to ensure that we were together. Someday we can laugh about all that our love square have caused but now there are two things that I want to go, one that has been a long time coming for both of us. The first is this; Tikki, spots off."

Marinette let her transformation fall so that she stood as Marinette in front of Adrien. At last, the fullness of their revelations to one another were present as they stood in civilian form in front of one another with their kwamis floating over their shoulders, looking on quietly while the two teens stared lovingly at one another. At last they could be together.

"And what is the other thing m'lady?" Adrien asked with a knowing smile that almost made Marinette collapse there and then.

"This." Marinette said as she ran forward, jumped into Adrien's arms and passionately kissed him for the first true time, that shit because of Dark Cupid did not count.

Marinette's own personal, long suffering, quest to be with Adrien was finally over. They were together, their secrets known, their love open. As they kissed beneath the stars Marinette was glad that their quests were over as she allowed the bliss of their love to take her away in a moment that would last a lifetime. In that moment their worries disappeared, in that moment everything was perfect for the Heroes of Paris.

 **A nice, longer, more romantic oneshot for this blitz, a rarity after the last few ones I have written. Sorry that this is later in the day but I did write and edit this today (starting at 11am EST) and it is still out on the 9th day of Christmas so still in my expected range as promised. This is roughly the same length as the remaining 3 oneshots in this blitz, though the 12th one will be the longest I predict, and all of them will also be later in the day releases. Also, sorry for the cliches, I hate them but it was fun to add for this oneshot, though I am not sorry for my Parks and Rec reference. Anyway, that is all for this post chapter note, as usual keep the suggestions coming so my list grows and keep letting me know your opinions in your reviews. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	48. Catnip

**Here is the 48th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the 10th oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas special, only two more and I will have completed my self assigned task. This oneshot was indirectly suggested by glennish in a review of Wraith (though likely in reference to Scent as that is the only other oneshot that discusses catnip and a potential reaction to it) and stands as one of the most open ended, non specific, suggestions I have ever received as all that was asked for was a catnip reveal and well here is my attempt at such a reveal. Hopefully the idea works pretty well as I am not well versed in the effects of catnip on felines. On a separate note, with the release of this oneshot, 'Miraculous Revelations' is now tied for longest fanfic I have ever written by chapter length at 48. It is still about 12k words shy my single story word record and 2.5k shy of my views record but has my review record. Given that this story currently has a total planned oneshot count of 94, all records (excluding maybe communities as this series is only in one at the moment) should be broken. Anyway, enough pointless rambling, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Catnip.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Catnip** **\- During an akuma fight in one of the many public gardens/parks in Paris, Adrien is thrown by an akuma while protecting Ladybug. As luck would have it, he lands in a nice patch of catnip and well Adrien's feline side comes out around the appropriately named plant. Ladybug saves him from it before he times out and/or embarrasses himself and Plagg explains later why this happened. All Adrien has to do is avoid large quantities of catnip going forward. Shame that in a week's time they had a class trip to a public garden. Can Adrien avoid the catnip and what will happen if he encounters it in Marinette's presence?  
**

* * *

 **Catnip**

"No, you don't, Cataclysm!" Adrien yelled as he activated his destructive power and slashed down on the ivy holding him in off the ground, destroying it and freeing himself instantly.

Adrien flipped in the air, he had been held upside down to try and disorientate him, and landed on the grass facing the angry akuma. They were in one of the many public gardens, or parks Adrien still couldn't tell the difference, in Paris facing a vine based akuma that Adrien was pretty sure had once been a gardener here. At least it was regular and not poison ivy, the latter would cause complications after the fight. Whatever the case, they would defeat the akuma in short order.

Ladybug had her Lucky Charm out, a large pair of hedge trimmers, and Adrien had just used his Cataclysm to escape the ivy attack. His capture had been planned, a distraction that allowed Ladybug to use her power to access the item that held the akuma. Everything had gone according to plan as always, until it didn't.

As Ladybug accessed the akumatized item, the akuma bellowed and lashed out at her in desperation. Instinct took over and Adrien leapt in the way of the thrashing vines to protect his lady and give her the time needed to defeat the akuma. It worked but Adrien once again paid the price for saving his love, a price he would willingly pay over and over again.

The vines connected painfully with his chest and threw him away, spinning in the air as always, and into a floral part of the garden while Ladybug used the time bought by his sacrifice to defeat the akuma. Usually that would be enough but Adrien's bad luck meter was apparently stuck to max at the moment as he fell towards a simple looking green plant. He was heading straight for the center of a large patch of it in the garden.

"Merde, anything but that plant." Adrien swore as he approached it, knowing full well that it was futile as he painfully hit the ground, right in the middle of the patch. The reaction was instantaneous.

Adrien no longer had control of his body as pure feline instinct kicked in and he felt himself go nuts as an endorphin based pleasure washed over him. Adrien was one of the few people who could recognize the plant he had just been thrown into and it was one that he had had to learn after a few strange feelings around it, though Plagg still wouldn't explain fully why. Whatever the case, Adrien had just landed in a large patch of the appropriately named catnip plant that had been grown here for some reason and he was reacting like mad to it.

Adrien could hear that he was purring, that was embarrassing enough, but it was completely uncontrollable as he rolled around in the plants and pawed playfully at them, his senses overloaded by the catnip. Fortunately, no one was around as they had evacuated the garden due to the akuma attack and its plant based abilities. Still, Adrien needed help as he had lost complete control and if he didn't get out of the catnip his miraculous would time out and his identity revealed. This was not good.

* * *

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Marinette shouted as she threw the rake into the air. It burst and the usual magical stream of ladybugs were created to clean up the mess they had made of the garden.

The one thing it didn't do was return or get put right was Cat Noir. Marinette assumed that was because he hadn't been affected by the akumas power, only thrown by it. Concern for her partner made Marinette run in the direction he had been thrown in to see if he was okay. When she found him, she knew that he wasn't okay.

Marinette wasn't exactly sure what she was watching, only that it was strange to say the least. Cat Noir was rolling around in a patch of green plants that Marinette couldn't identify as he purred and pawed playfully at them, completely overwhelmed by them for some reason. Knowing that Cat Noir had no control over his body, Marinette reacted instantly to help her friend out.

Throwing her yo-yo, she caught him around the ankle and with a yank she pulled Cat Noir to her and out of the plants. He thrashed on the ground for a moment when he was free, though still had a few leaves on him, his eyes dilated from whatever had been affecting him. It was so severe that Cat Noir even growled at her when she tried to help but after a minute he had exhausted himself and was just lying down and panting, his eyes returning from their dilation.

"Thanks." Cat Noir gasped out as soon as it was clear that he was free of the throws of whatever had been affecting him, though he still lay on the grass panting slightly.

"What the hell was that?" Marinette asked as she helped him to his feet and brushed him off. "I've never seen that happen before."

"Never encountered this particular problem before so this is my first to experience with this plant, I wasn't sure how I would react to it." Cat Noir said embarrassed as he leaned on her for support. He was coming down from what Marinette assumed was some sort of endorphin rush so she wasn't surprised by how drained Cat Noir was.

"But I guess the reaction is the same as any cat." Cat Noir continued after a brief pause. "That shit back there is called catnip and felines tend to have a very pleasurable reaction to it. Something to do with the chemicals it produces affecting a cat's endorphins or something like that, I'm not too sure. I only know enough about it to prepare for a possible reaction, I don't know the science behind it. Sorry you had to see that."

"Don't worry, we both know that our powers come with a few undesired side effects." Marinette said with a smile. "Some we haven't experienced yet but we always get through it together."

"Yeah and those effects are worth it because of all the good we do." Car Noir agreed. "Is the akuma defeated?"

"Everything is back to normal." Marinette said with a nod as Cat Noir's ring beeped.

"Right well I gotta go. "Cat Noir said as she let go of him. He wobbled for a few steps before giving her a salute as he began to back away. "Got a little too distracted for a moment. I'll be fine. See you around bugaboo."

Before Marinette could say anything Cat Noir had turned to run home at full sprint before vaulting away. Shaking her head, Marinette began to spin her yo-yo as she prepared to head home herself as her own miraculous began to beep. Today had been interesting to say the least, hopefully something like that wouldn't happen again anytime soon. Marinette did not want to have to help a catnip affected Cat Noir again, it was too freaky.

* * *

"Plagg, what the hell was that?" Adrien asked as his kwami flew off to grab his cheese stash as soon as Adrien dropped his transformation in his room. "You could have warned me how bad my reaction to catnip would be."

"I did warn you to stay away from it when you got the tingles around it." Plagg pointed out as he returned with his cheese, a whole wheel of the stinky stuff. "I told you that it could cause an effect on you. Admittedly, that was worse than I thought but I am not great at guessing things, perhaps it's why I'm so bad at blackjack."

"Yes, I got tingles from smelling it which should have alerted you to how bad my reaction could be." Adrien pointed out. "Because that was certainly not tingles."

"True, that was a lot more." Plagg admitted as he took a large bite out of the cheese in his paws and swallowed it with an audible gulp before continuing. "I should have probably explained more but honestly I didn't expect you to be near such a large quantity of the stuff. It's not normally planted in that kind of abundance, at least in my experience. Because of your size and my magic, while catnip can affect you, as it does with about 66% of my holders which is roughly the rate it does for cats, it requires a large quantity to have that sort of reaction."

"And that reaction is?" Adrien asked looking at Plagg for answers.

"What happened today." Plagg said with a shrug and another large bite of cheese. "Purring, pawing, pleasure, irritation when interrupted, that sort of thing. Usually it lasts about 10 minutes though that can vary depending on the quality and quantity of the catnip, as well as a particular cat's affinity for it. After a while you will get exhausted and the effects wear off and you can walk away from it while your body resets. Some sort of sensory overload that causes exhaustion I believe but I am immune to the stuff so I don't fully know."

"Great, I just need to stay away from that stuff as Cat Noir then." Adrien said sourly. "Or else I would be useless in a fight."

"Er, you might want to stay away from it in general." Plagg said as he took yet another large bite out of the smelly cheese. "It might have a similar affect on you when you aren't transformed as well."

"Why?" Adrien asked as he narrowed his eyes at Plagg. "I think you owe me a more thorough explanation Plagg, especially after what just happened."

"That's fair, one sec though." Plagg said as he wolfed down the rest of the cheese in a sight that Adrien really did not need to see. "Ah there, I needed to finish my meal first. Gotta keep my strength up to help you. Right, as you know, my magic grants you several catlike qualities."

"Yes, that much is obvious." Adrien said with a nod. "And handy especially during night time akuma attacks."

"Well yeah and one of those qualities is the chance to have a reaction to catnip." Plagg said simply. "Just like any member of the feline family would. Most, but not all who, have held me have reacted to it. It requires a lot due to a person's size and the nature of my magic but once the threshold is reached the floodgates open and you react as you did today. Given your reaction, you need to know one more thing that could happen due to your prolonged and thorough usage of your miraculous."

"And that is?" Adrien asked, a little worried now.

"That you will likely be affected by catnip when you aren't transformed." Plagg said with a failed attempt at an innocent look on his face. "I said you might but if I am being honest and based off your reaction earlier, a reaction of a similar magnitude is a high probability in my estimation."

"Ok that's new." Adrien said taking a deep breath to control himself. "Now can you tell me why I would have that kind of reaction or not."

"Well the reaction is because of the Bleeding Effect." Plagg said helpfully. Adrien just gave his kwami a perplexed look to force Plagg to continue his explanation. "The Bleeding Effect, in short, is when certain abilities that you have while transformed bleed into your body because of the power of the miraculous and you gain some additional traits that would only exist when transformed while you are in civilian form. It is always weaker when compared to being powered up but they are there. In your case that includes enhanced night vision, hearing, smell, and a reaction to large quantities of high quality catnip, amongst other things. Given the usage you have gotten because of Hawk Moth, you have been feeling the effects a little already. Also, a catnip reaction like the one you felt today will likely open the floodgates for that Bleeding Effect in that regard as your body will now crave that feeling when you are near catnip."

"That explains why I get tingles around catnip." Adrien grumbled and Plagg gave him a helpful nod. "Among other things. I presume that if I am around enough catnip something like what happened today could happen again while I am in civilian form, right?"

"Precisely, though it will be more than just tingles now, now you will actively want to dive into the stuff." Plagg said with a smile as Adrien groaned at his kwami's carefree attitude to this. "So, I suggest you stay away from the stuff."

"You think." Adrien said sarcastically as he flopped down on his bed, he was exhausted. "But yeah, I will stay as far away from catnip from now on."

"That's the spirit." Plagg said as he floated over to hover above Adrien's head. "Now that this is sorted, how about getting me some more cheese. I need to recover my strength, I have plans tomorrow night and I want to be as strong as possible when I get into it with a few fairies."

Adrien just smiled as he sat up and went about getting Plagg his cheese. He had no idea what Plagg was refereeing to regarding plans and frankly he didn't care so long as Plagg was available when an akuma attack happened. His kwami had explained something important to him and Adrien was going to take that warning to heart and stay as far away from catnip as was humanly possible. So long as he stayed away from it nothing bad could happen. How hard could that be?

* * *

It was a week after Adrien's embarrassing catnip incident in front of his lady when the announcement came, though it was a reminder of something that Adrien had forgotten about because of the catnip incident, the class was going to a nearby garden. This was due to the pleasant weather allowing the plants to begin to bloom around this time of year.

Most of the class was fine with a trip to the nearby garden just because it got them out of the classroom. The purpose of the trip was to see the recently bloomed flowers, study them in a more natural environment, and so that Ms. Bustier could check it out for a future event that the school was planning.

Therefore, the students would get the afternoon to wander around the garden, make notes on the flowers for an assignment due after the weekend on the specifics of their chosen flower or plant, and enjoy themselves. It would be a fun afternoon and his friends were already making plans for what they would do, or in Chloe's case where she would sunbathe while Sabrina did her assignment for her.

Normally, Adrien wouldn't mind the mandatory trip and take part in the planning of activities for his friend group. It was a chance to get out and hang out like a normal teen, the problem was the location. Gardens and parks tended to have a chance of catnip growing in them.

After his recent encounter with the plant, Adrien had done some research on the stuff and where in Paris he was likely to encounter the quantities that could cause a similar reaction. Of course Plagg had been a little vague with the amount required, just saying that it always varied, so Adrien decided to low ball the amount just to be safe. He now had a comprehensive list of the few places, with as close to exact locations as possible, that would have enough catnip to likely cause him to react when he came into contact with it.

His luck was as good as always. The garden that the class was going to just so happened to be one of the few that were on his list. It was more for standard flowers, a specific rose display area, and a nice grassy meadow but it was also an area for people to take their pets. As such, someone in management, likely with way too many cats than was healthy, had decided it was a good idea to have a large patch of catnip on the far edge of the meadow for any cats that ended up there to have a good time in.

Adrien had double checked where the catnip was in the garden. It was on the edge of the meadow though that was about as much as he could find out without searching for it, which was something that he wasn't going to do, and decided that it was best to stay away from it. So long as he stayed away from it he could avoid embarrassing himself and having to come up with a lame excuse for why he was affected by it.

With the class about to leave for the garden, all he had to do was hope that his luck held as he walked with Nino, Alya and Marinette to the garden, intent to do his work on his mother's favorite flower as it was the one he knew the most about. Hopefully it would be far away from the catnip.

* * *

As expected, Adrien's luck did not hold. Black cats were unlucky for a reason and Adrien's miraculous was no exception to that rule. Apparently Plagg was the reason why black cats were unlucky, according to, well, Plagg, and Adrien didn't believe half his kwamis stories. However, there was some truth to it as the trip to the gardens had been a fateful one that in hindsight, Adrien should have seen coming from a mile away. Fate did like to fuck with him after all.

Pretty much as soon as they reached the garden, Alya and Nino decided that the very romantic rose section would be the best place to visit. This was way too awkward for Adrien and Marinette so he proposed that they head elsewhere.

"You sure?" Alya asked as she was already leading Nino away after Adrien had proposed splitting up for a bit. "We can all go together."

"Nah it's fine." Adrien said with a smile, not noticing how red Marinette was going. "Go have fun, that place is for couples anyway. We will meet you two later."

"Thanks dude." Nino said with a wave as Alya continued to hurry them away.

"Yeah have fun you two." Alya said with a wink before the pair turned and left in a hurry.

"So." Adrien said turning to a strangely still Marinette. "Where too?"

"Er, meadow?" Marinette said pointing in the direction of the garden's grassy meadow. "It's in the opposite direction of those two. Not romantic at all, though you are here so romantic anyway, I mean,er, it will be less awkward for us because that isn't where couples go."

Adrien glanced over and noticed that in deed, all the couples from class had headed straight to the roses and the other flowers in the area. The only plausible place to go with Marinette, where it wouldn't be awkwardly romantic for them, would be the meadow. He could do it so long as they stayed away from the catnip that was somewhere along the edge of it.

"Meadow it is." Adrien said with a smile as they headed in that direction. "Let's see if my mother's favorite flower is there."

Marinette just nodded an agreement as they headed off. As always, she was initially quiet around him when it was just them, and Adrien had to help her off the ground 4 times on the walk over after she kept tripping but that was just Marinette's usual, well documented, clumsiness.

However, as was usually the case whenever he and Marinette were together, she warmed to him after a little bit of clumsiness that they both laughed at. Adrien never knew why Marinette was like this around him but Marinette was a good friend, she would tell him if there was an issue.

As they walked into the meadow and began to walk around it, they talked about the usual stuff. Class, homework, baked goods, the latest Mecha Strike III DLC, and fashion. The last was more Marinette's passion for it and Adrien's experience as a model, though Adrien was hoping that Marinette would continue her hobby, she was really good at it and he enjoyed modeling his friend's designs. She face planted for a 5th time when he told her but laughed it off when he helped her up, holding his had a little longer than was absolutely necessary.

All in all, it was going well as they began to make their way around the edge of the meadow. Adrien was so relaxed and having a good time with Marinette that he had lost track of where they were in the meadow.

That was why he didn't realize until it was too late where they were. It was only after he caught the intoxicating scent of a large amount of fresh catnip and felt his body begin to tingle in anticipatory pleasure did he realize how close he was to it. Plagg was for once right, Adrien's recent forced encounter with it had awaken his desire for it because he had never felt like this around catnip before. Usually it was just a nice, albeit odd, tingle, now it was a full blown desire to jump into the nearest patch of catnip and play with it. He had to try and stop Marinette and change direction before it was too late.

"Marinette, let's head across the meadow." Adrien said trying to sound as calm as possible as they continued to walk. Now he could see the catnip a few meters in front of them and the urge to dive into it was getting too much. "I, I think we might find something better over there."

"It's ok Adrien, I can see the plant I want to do my assignment on." Marinette said with a smile as she pointed in front of them, right at the catnip.

"You want to do your assignment on catnip?" Adrien asked as he felt a sweat break out on his forehead as he fought the urge to dive for the catnip.

"You know what it is?" Marinette asked clearly confused that Adrien had just named the nondescript green plant. "Not many people can recognize it on sight."

"We had a cat growing up." Adrien lied. "He loved the stuff so I can recognize it anywhere, real useful in getting him to calm down at times. Why catnip though? There are so many pretty flowers like yourself here for you to study, why this stuff."

"Oh, well, I, I, er." Marinette stammered out for some reason as she went red before recovering. "I recently found out about it and well I want to understand the plant more and why cats love it so much. Perhaps you could help me out with the assignment."

"I can help you out later, I know a little bit about the stuff." Adrien said with a nod and knew that it was too late. Marinette had just walked into the patch, which was fortunately empty save for a stay cat sleeping on its back with it's tongue lolling out right in the middle of the patch. "I, I have some experience with it."

Adrien took one more step forward, he couldn't flee even if he wanted to and it would look really strange if he did. Not to mention that it would be rude to Marinette if he did decide to suddenly run off for no apparent reason.

As soon as Adrien stepped into the patch, the scent of the catnip had him. He was in the patch and his willpower to avoid it shattered. Glancing around to confirm that they were alone, he fell into it. A purr of contentment escaped him before he knew any better and he was on his back pawing at the stuff, playing with it, and rolling around in it in no time. The reaction had been so sudden that he didn't have time to see the shocked look on Marinette's face as Adrien gave in to his desire for the catnip.

* * *

That had not been what Marinette had been expecting when she had ended going for a nice walk alone with Adrien in a local garden, not in the slightest. She just stared at Adrien in shock as her crush purred and thrashed around in the catnip just as Cat Noir had done a week before.

Cat Noir's reaction to the stuff had been why Marinette had been hoping to find the stuff here in the first place so that she could study it and learn as much as she could just in case Cat Noir encountered it again. She needed to be prepared for that possible eventuality. The fact that, thanks to Alya's no doubt deliberate machinations, Marinette was alone with Adrien made Marinette's day better. Now, though, Adrien was reacting the exact same way that Cat Noir had to the stuff. This was not good, not good at all.

Marinette glanced around and confirmed that they were alone before she dropped down and tried to help Adrien. He actually growled at her when she tried to help, the same growl that Cat Noir had given her a week ago when she had tried to help during that incident, and that was when it hit her. Adrien's reaction was way too similar to be coincidental. There was only one possibly explanation for it, Adrien had to be Cat Noir.

Why Adrien was affected by the catnip while in civilian form was a mystery for another day, right now Marinette had to get him out of there. She didn't know how long it would take for Adrien to reach the level of the cat that was still dozing peacefully in the catnip and she didn't care. Marinette just knew that she needed to get Adrien out of it right away before anyone saw what was going on.

"Come on kitty, get a hold of yourself." Marinette whispered sternly to him the same way she would tell off Cat Noir when she was Ladybug. "You have to get a hold of yourself right now. You are Cat Noir, you are a hero of Paris. Get. Up. Now."

Marinette didn't know if it had worked, or even gotten through to Adrien, all she knew was that it had enough of an effect on him to calm him down somewhat. With a great effort, Marinette grabbed Adrien, and half dragged him clear of the catnip and onto the grassy meadow.

Marinette didn't know how far she dragged him, only that she managed to drag him clear enough for him to fall limp onto the grass, a contented look on his face from his recent exposure to the catnip. Marinette collapsed onto his chest, content herself to rest there as Adrien purred again and appeared to doze off.

"There, there kitty, it will be ok." Marinette said softly from her position on top of him. "I saved you again. Don't worry, no one saw what just happened."

Marinette knew that Adrien was Cat Noir, there was no doubt after the identical reactions. She also knew that if Adrien had realized what was going on he would know that she was Ladybug, something she would confirm if he asked her about it.

Right now, however, that didn't matter. Their secrets might be out to one another but that wasn't important. What was important was that Adrien was safe and that they were far enough away from that damned catnip to avoid any new problems.

* * *

Adrien's mind had filled with pleasure, to the point of overload, as soon as he fell into the catnip. For some reason it was stronger than the week before when he had landed in the catnip during the fight but that might have been because this was his second reaction to it and his body was anticipating the pleasure of the catnip more than it had before.

However, Adrien was still aware enough to hear his surrounds and know what was roughly going on around him. He knew he had growled at Marinette when she had initially tried to help, which was very embarrassing, but as soon as his lady had spoken to him, Adrien had calmed down at once.

He would do anything for Ladybug, she was his love and he would always be by her side no matter what. So, when she ordered him to calm down he did. The initial thrill of the catnip was over and just the general pleasure and endorphin release that it caused remained. It didn't matter that it was Marinette who was his lady, for only his lady could get him to calm down, all that mattered was that she was with him. She was there for him, to help in in his time of need and it made him love her even more.

That was why he let her take him away from the catnip. It wasn't easy, he was enjoying the stuff immensely, but she was there and she helped him out of it. The further away they were from it, the easier it got. Finally, the sensory overload hit Adrien and he fell limp to the ground, Marinette falling on top of him. A position that Adrien did not mind in the slightest.

"There, there kitty, it will be ok." Marinette said softly from her position on top of him. "I saved you again. Don't worry, no one saw what just happened."

Marinette, Ladybug, even through Adrien's endorphin addled mind he could tell that they were one and the same, was with him now and had calmed him down after the initial rush of the catnip. The way Marinette had handled him, the way she had referred to him, ordered him and knew what to do, all pointed to that conclusion. It also explained why she wanted to study the stuff, to help him should he encounter catnip during an akuma attack, again. Marinette was his love and he had the damned catnip to thank for forcing them both to realize the other's secret for there was no way that she did not know that he was Cat Noir after what had just happened.

"M'lady?" Adrien asked softly to confirm. The last vestiges of the catnip had left him and though he was drained, Adrien knew that he was safe.

"Yes kitty." Marinette said quietly though not getting off him, not that Adrien was going to complain about it. "It is me."

"Fucking catnip." Adrien muttered with a sigh.

"Fucking catnip." Marinette agreed with a light laugh.

Adrien didn't know how long they lay there on the grass in a contented heap. There would be time later to discuss all of this later, both the reveals and Adrien's newfound catnip problem, but right now it was clear that neither wanted to move. They were happily content with each other on that grassy meadow.

That contentment was ruined when Marinette's phone went off. Grumbling she got off Adrien, much to his displeasure, checked it then looked down at Adrien as he glanced up at her.

"Alya messaged, she wants to know where to meet us?" Marinette asked him looking as annoyed at Alya as he felt.

"Not here." Adrien said with a chuckle as he slowly sat up, the effects taking longer this time to fully wear off compared to last week. "Not like this or near any catnip."

"Agreed." Marinette said as she got up, Adrien following suit. "Let's say the main entrance then. We can keep this quiet for now. We have a patrol tonight to talk about all of this."

"Works for me." Adrien said with a smile as they began to head off while Marinette texted Alya. He couldn't wait for tonight.

They walked quietly towards the entrance. Adrien knew a lot had changed, all because of a stupid plant that cats love, but he was fine with that. Sure, there was much to discuss but that would come in time. For now, he had the gardens to enjoy with his lady and his friends and that was all Adrien needed right now. Adrien knew deep down that everything would be fine.

 **Well that was a little different from my usual style I think, minus the return of the Bleeding Effect idea I have (and to any grammar nuts I apologize for any instances of misusing affect and effect in this oneshot), but still a shortish and sweetish oneshot. A little longer than most in this special blitz but I am saving the longer ones for the end. The last 2 are on schedule, though the 12th might be late given its projected length, requisite upload in the sequence, and my personal schedule on Saturday. Both will be on the longer side and both will come out in the evenings of their respective days if my estimates are correct. Other than that, just the usual message here to keep letting me know what you think of this series in your reviews (my ego can always use a boost) and keep the suggestions coming in, we are prompts away from there being 100 in this series. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	49. Thief

**Here is the 49th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is the 11th oneshot in my 12 days of Christmas blitz and the last of 6 oneshots from the same suggester who has suggested so many great oneshots in this series. This is also the oneshot that gives this series the record for longest fanfiction I have ever written by chapter length (but not word length). I expected this one to be longer but fortunately it wasn't as the day has been more busy than anticipated so it is coming out just in time on the 11th day of this special blitz. Tomorrow's oneshot is special in 2 ways as both the last one in the 12 days blitz and the 50th oneshot in this series and has a special theme for such a oneshot, a theme fitting for a oneshot of it's stature, as well as likely being the longest in this blitz. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Thief.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Thief \- Marinette is trying to sneak some macaroons into Adrien's locker as a thank you (and a hint as to her feelings) but runs into an unexpected surprise, Plagg. In order to keep his human's secret, Plagg pretends to be a thief there to steal Adrien's cheese. Marinette is not happy with this and tells Plagg off and says that Cat Noir will hear of this before leaving. Plagg then has to admit everything to Adrien after Adrien finds a macaroon in his locker, though he mentions that it was Marinette who found him and he talked his way out of it. So what is Adrien to think when it is Ladybug who confronts him, as Cat Noir, that night on patrol about it with details that only Marinette would know?  
**

* * *

 **Thief**

Marinette looked around to make sure that no one was watching before she crept into the locker room, the activity in the school's courtyard covering her actions. It was after school and officially she was still here to work on her latest fashion design in the art room, something she normally did if she had the time to do so after school. Unofficially however, she had stayed behind because it was fencing practice and as such a great opportunity to watch Adrien from afar.

Marinette always stayed late on fencing days to watch him, unless she was grounded or there was an akuma attack that is. Adrien was always front and center because of his ongoing rivalry with Kagami and her distinctive red outfit made it easy for Marinette to watch him fence, something she enjoyed doing.

Today was different though. Marinette had something else planned for Adrien during the fencing class, something she had been planning for a while. She was going to use the fencing class as cover to sneak into the deserted, well hopefully deserted, locker room and place a box of homemade macaroons in his locker as a thank you for being such a good friend to her.

Marinette had been planning this for a while and had even planted boxes in the lockers of all the girls in their class to throw off any suspicion that she was stalking Adrien, rather she was doing this for everyone and this time it was Adrien's turn. It was perfect. The fact that the macaroon were pink with hearts hand etched into them was an attempt at a subtle hint to Adrien regarding her feelings, though Marinette expected that it would go over his head. That boy was really oblivious.

It was a perfect plan and one that Marinette had thought out fully. There was no way that it could go wrong. There was nothing that could happen to ruin it or cause a problem for her. At least that was what Marinette intended to happen, fate had a different plan in store for Marinette and it would have consequences that she would not see coming.

Once she was in the locker room, Marinette went straight to Adrien's locker. It was unlocked, likely because anything important would be with him in his fencing bag, so Marinette could easily drop off the macaroons. Quietly, and again checking to make sure that she was alone, Marinette opened the locker.

It took all of her willpower not to shriek in surprise at what she saw when she opened the locker. That being said, she still jumped about a foot in the air, threw the box of macaroons a lot higher and sending macaroons everywhere in the process. She then proceeded to fall backwards over the wooden bench between the lockers and land in a painful heap on the floor, a few macaroons landing on her to add insult to her injury. Marinette had seen probably the last thing she expecting sitting in Adrien's locker right at eye level.

Grumbling, Marinette slowly got up and glanced around the locker room. Somehow the noise from the crash she had made hadn't drawn anyone to her, which was a good thing given what she had thought she had seen there. Marinette quickly returned to Adrien's now open locker to confirm what she had seen.

Sitting in the middle of an empty box of Camembert cheese on the shelf at eye level, half asleep from the food and a look of bliss on his face as he finished the last wedge of cheese with a single gulp was Plagg. His presence in Adrien's locker had shocked Marinette, she had no idea why Cat Noir's kwami was in Adrien's locker but Marinette was going to find out because there were only a few explanations for this, none of them good in her mind.

"Plagg." Marinette whispered harshly as she made certain they were alone. "What the fuck are you doing in Adrien's locker? Where is Cat Noir? And why aren't you with him right now? Explain."

Instead of panicking, jumping, swearing, or acting surprised in anyway, Plagg just opened his eyes, gave a languid yawn and stretched before floating off the empty cheese box. He blinked a few times and shook his head before focusing on her as if he had only just noticed her.

"Oh, hey Marinette, good to see you again." Plagg said conversationally. "What are you doing here?"

"Placing macaroons in Adrien's locker." Marinette whispered as she help up the now empty box. "Though now I am going to have to make more to give him. Answer my questions; what are you doing here and where in Cat Noir? This is very dangerous Plagg, you should not be out in the open like this."

"Cat Noir is fine but busy." Plagg said with another yawn. "You know you ruined a good nap, right? And I am not out in the open, I was in a locker that you opened so it was you who exposed me."

Marinette just glared at Plagg. The insufferable kwami, she had forgotten how irritating he could be, just shrugged and continued to try and talk his way out of this.

"Fine." Plagg said with a sigh, he was not going to be getting out of this one. "Cat Noir is nearby but he is busy and what he is doing is something that requires I not be on his person but trust me, and trust him, if there is an attack I will be with him and transforming within a minute. There is no fear of us being separated."

"Very well, but I will still be having words with him tonight about not keeping you as close as he should." Marinette hissed at the annoying kwami. Marinette knew that there was no way Cat Noir would let Plagg stray too far but this was still unacceptable behavior from Plagg. "Why are you here though? Don't make me ask you again."

"Calm down, it is all fine, don't worry about it." Plagg said with an annoying little smile at here. "As for why I am here, well that is obvious. I smelt this fine box of the fair lady Camembert in this locker, not knowing who's it was, and decided to keep her company as she was all on her lonesome and I am a charming kwami, a perfect match. Also, Cheese goes off if not properly stored and this isn't properly stored. I was doing the right, nee the responsible thing by eating this cheese. I was just about leave and return to Cat Noir, after a brief cat nap of course, when you interrupted me."

"So, you are a thief stealing Adrien's food." Marinette said angrily. Cat Noir was going to hear about this during their patrol tonight, that was for sure. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I've been called a thief many times before." Plagg said with a shrug and absolutely no remorse. "And a liar, a cheat, degenerate, scoundrel, scum, pixie fucker, asshole, wanker, loser, ne'er-do-well, and many, many more names in my time, this is nothing new to me. I've been called a lot worse and didn't feel shame then and won't know. I have nothing to be ashamed of, it is not a crime to love the glorious food that is cheese, in fact it is something that should be encouraged."

"Yes, well today stealing is bad and you should be punished." Marinette growled at Plagg. "Especially when you are stealing from Adrien and when I was going to give him some lovely macaroons. Now get back to Cat Noir this instant and don't let me catch you stealing again. Kwamis are supposed to be better than this."

"Yes ma'am." Plagg said as he lowered his head in shame, tucked his tail between his legs and floated through the locker and out of sight.

Marinette huffed. She knew that that was an act on Plagg's part but she didn't care. He was heading back to Cat Noir, hopefully staying out of trouble and sight along the way, and he was going to stay there.

Marinette closed Adrien's locker, missing a macaroon that had been thrown into the locker when she had spilled them, and began cleaning up her mess, grumbling about annoying kwamis as she did. She was going to have a few choice words with Cat Noir that night on patrol about keeping a responsible eye on his kwami.

First though, Marinette had to return home and make a fresh batch of macaroons for Adrien. Her crush did not deserve this but it wasn't his fault that Cat Noir's kwami had decided to eat his cheese now was it, regardless of how odd it was that Adrien had cheese in his locker in the first place.

Still fuming, Marinette threw out the ruined macaroon and stormed out of the locker and headed home. She was now unable to watch Adrien thanks to Plagg stealing from him, the annoying little thief. Marinette knew that a long night was in store for her, though she didn't realize how long that night would be.

* * *

"Alright Plagg spit it out, what happened?" Adrien asked his kwami as he gave Plagg a serious look. "I know you aren't telling me something."

"Nothing happened." Plagg said as he spat out the half-eaten cheese piece. Adrien instantly regretted asking Plagg the question when his kwami was eating and could be literal with him. "All I can spit out is this cheese, which as a waste of good Camembert by the way."

"You can finish your cheese." Adrien said with a sigh. Plagg smiled and proceeded to swallow the piece whole as he usually did. "Good, now that you are done you can tell me what happened while I was in fencing?"

"And I said nothing happened." Plagg repeated innocently. "Don't you believe me."

"No." Adrien said bluntly.

"Well its the gods honest truth." Plagg said with one paw raised and the other over where his heart likely was. "I wouldn't lie to you Adrien."

Adrien sighed. He knew his kwami well enough to know that Plagg was guilty as sin and this was just such an occasion. However, unlike the last few times when Adrien had no proof that Plagg was lying or more accurately trying to cover his tail, this time Adrien had proof. Reaching into his other pocket where he didn't keep Plagg's cheese, Adrien pulled out a cracked but still identifiable pink macaroon with little hearts etched into it.

"Then what is this?" Adrien asked simply.

"That is a macaroon, don't you know what one looks like Adrien." Plagg said helpfully. "And you call yourself French, tut tut. Judging by the quality, it looks like it was made by someone who knew what they were doing but I don't go for sweets, too sweet, I prefer my food to be noticeable from a mile away just based on smell. They tend to have a nice, sharp taste that is more to my liking."

"I gathered that." Adrien said thinking back to all the Camembert he had for his kwami and how he was still not nose blind to the stuff yet. "However, this macaroon was found in the bottom of my locker when I went to grab my things after fencing and trust me it wasn't there when I left. I would have known if there was a loose macaroon in my locker. Now tell me the truth, what happened? What did Marinette see?"

"Oh, that macaroon, yeah I remember it now." Plagg said with a nod. "Yeah I may have been seen today in your locker after my afternoon snack, no big. Wait! How did you know it was Marinette who saw me?"

"Partially because it's a well-made macaroon which is Marinette's specialty." Adrien said before he gave Plagg a smirk. "Partially because you just told me that it was her who saw you."

"Merde." Plagg swore under his breath. "Fine you got me, Marinette was the one who saw me. She was going to leave a box of macaroons for you in your locker while you were at fencing. I dunno why she was but she was so don't ask me to try and guess Marinette's intentions. Anyway, she saw me and freaked out for some reason but I managed to calm her down and talk myself out of it. I'm very good at that."

"How?" Adrien asked seriously. All jokes aside, if Marinette found Plagg then this was not good.

"Well you see, kwamis are public knowledge now after Chloe was interviewed about it and spoke in great depth both about Pollen and Pollen's powers." Plagg began. Adrien was curious to see what he kwami had said to talk his way out of being found in his locker. "And that will be annoying seeing as Pollen loves attention, the vain little bee that she is. She really is perfect for Chloe. Therefore, because the humans know of us, Marinette wasn't too freaked out given that kwamis are known now to them. So, I was able to tell Marinette that I was just there to steal your cheese that you had carelessly left in your locker."

"And she bought it?" Adrien asked surprised.

"Of course, she did." Plagg said with smug confidence. "Don't be surprised Adrien, I am very convincing when I want to be. I do have millennia of practice talking my way out of debts after all. All I did was that I explained to Marinette that I was Cat Noir's kwami and that I really love cheese. The best cover stories are the ones that are close to the truth and my love for cheese is the truest form of love out there."

"Plagg, get on with your explanation." Adrien interrupted to get his kwami back on track. "I do not have time to once again listen to you unhealthy obsession with cheese."

"Spoilsport." Plagg pout but continued nonetheless. "So, when I smelt it in your locker, I had to go grab it for myself. I explained that Cat Noir was nearby but unable to have me with him so I was snooping around on my own. Marinette believed that I was a no-good thief stealing cheese and left, after a few choice words about stealing but seeing as the cheese was already mine it wasn't technically stealing. Don't worry, I made sure to always talk about Cat Noir as if he wasn't you to make it clear that you two weren't the same and to add some more degrees of separation between you two and thus preserve your secret identity. See, problem averted. This ain't my first rodeo, not by a long shot."

"I see." Adrien said as he digested what Plagg had said. While it seemed that Plagg had talked his way out of trouble, he still had caused it so needed to be punished. "Very well, we shall hope that there is not problems. However, there is still the matter of your punishment."

"What punishment?" Plagg asked with mock confusion. "I did nothing wrong. If anything I should be rewarded with more cheese and a night off to go drink and gamble with my boys instead for how I smoothly talked my way out of this."

"You allowed your greed to get the better of you and you were seen, which could have been disastrous if Marinette had connected you to me." Adrien said sternly. "Thankfully Marinette isn't a Miraculous Holder or else she would have figured out that I was Cat Noir. No, you need to be punished for your carelessness, even if that silver tongue of yours talked your way out of it. That is why I am suspending all cheese privileges for a month. That should be fitting given what you did and why."

"WHAT! NO!" Plagg wailed with genuine anguish, the first bit of genuine emotion he had shown so far. "Don't take away my goddess."

"You fucked up Plagg, now you got to pay the price." Adrien said shaking his head.

"I know, I have paid many prices in my life for many stupid decisions, and believe me there have been many, but not something as bad as this." Plagg said pleading now as he prostrated himself in midair in front of Adrien. "Anything but this."

"My mind is made up Plagg." Adrien said shaking his head. "Your best bet is good behavior lifting it after 2 weeks, that is if you can actually behave yourself that long, until then no cheese. Now it is time for our patrol, let's go."

"What, no we are talk…" Plagg began but Adrien cut him off, he was in no mood to listen to Plagg at the moment.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said to end the conversation.

In moments Adrien was Cat Noir once more and no longer had to deal with Plagg and his actions. Adrien opened his window and leapt into the night, it was time for a fun filled patrol with his lady. He could deal with the repercussions of, and punishments for, Plagg's actions later. For now, Adrien was looking forward to a comepletely uneventful patrol with Ladybug.

* * *

Marinette landed on the roof to find a grinning Cat Noir waiting for her, the usual carefree, cocky expression on his face. He was here before her as always. Good. She needed to give him a piece of her mind after what Plagg had done today. He needed to keep a better eye on his damned kwami.

"As always, a pleasure to see you bugaboo." Cat Noir said with his usually attempt at charm. It was not going to work tonight.

"Don't call me bugaboo." Marinette snapped causing Cat Noir's eyes to go wide in surprise at her tone. She would have felt a little sorry but she needed to vent at him and couldn't afford to lose any steam. "We need to talk about your kwami, and your lack of control over his actions."

"Plagg?" Cat Noir asked confused. "What has he done now?"

"I caught him in one of the boy's lockers at my school today." Marinette began as Cat Noir's face went from confusion to shock at he words. It looked like Plagg had not told him, well she wasn't going to cover for him that was for sure.

"I admit that I had a commitment that required Plagg say in my bag today and not on my person as he normal does." Cat Noir said hesitantly. "But I didn't know he was going through lockers. I'll have a word with him about this when I get home, don't worry."

"Oh, you had better have more than a word with um." Marinette said as the floodgates opened and she began to release her pent-up irritation at Plagg's earlier actions. "There I was going to give the boy I love a nice box of macaroons as a thank you for being such a good friend, and as a subtle hint as to how I feel about him that he no doubt would completely miss because he's oblivious to my feelings towards him. However, when I open Adrien's, low and behold there was your fucking kwami eating Adrien's cheese and about to take a nap in his locker. Why Adrien had cheese in his locker I don't know but it is a healthy snack in small amounts so that's probably why. Whatever the case, Plagg was there stealing the cheese because he is a no good, rotten little thief. He shocked me, made me spill the macaroons that I had worked on, which I now have to make more and give them to Adrien tomorrow when he isn't looking, all thanks to your damned kwami. You need to keep a better eye on that kwami of yours or else he will get his tail into trouble. What happens if someone like Hawk Moth sees him and tries to take him, or thinks Adrien is Cat Noir and goes after him to get to Plagg or me, huh? Well? What are you going to do about him?"

Marinette finished her rant, placed her hands on her hips and glared at Cat Noir. It might take him a minute or two to answer after what she had just told him, his kwami have been acting up after all, but she was going to get an answer out of him but they were not starting their patrol until he answered. She was too pissed off at the moment to think about anything else. They had to sort this shit out now, no matter how shocked Cat Noir was at Plagg's actions.

* * *

Adrien stared at Ladybug in shock. Somehow she had known about Plagg's actions, something only he and Marinette knew. Adrien tried to understand but before he could ask any questions, Ladybug had unleashed her tirade at him. A tirade that had been very illuminating.

There was only one way that Ladybug could have known all those details and that was if she had been there. However, according to Plagg, it had been Marinette who had found him, not Ladybug. That alone pointed to Marinette being Ladybug, a revelation that was shocking on its own. Then add on the fact that Ladybug admitted to making the macaroons and putting them there, something Plagg claimed had been Marinette's doing when Adrien had confronted his kwami, well that confirmed to Adrien that Marinette was Ladybug.

Then there was the fact that she liked him, as in liked him liked him. Well she liked Adrien but that was semantics because she still did not know that he was Cat Noir. At least Plagg had been successful on that front, Adrien had to give his kwami credit for that. Besides, the was something they could sort out later once all this was cleared up. First though, Adrien had to reveal what he knew to Marinette, as well as who he was and there was only one-way Adrien's mind could think how to do that.

"You know you could just give me the macaroons in class tomorrow, right." Adrien said breaking his silence after Marinette's rant before adding the kicker. "Marinette."

* * *

"You know you could just give me the macaroons in class tomorrow, right." Cat Noir said breaking his silence after Marinette's rant. She was so confused by his reaction to her rant that she barely heard the last word. "Marinette."

"What?" Marinette asked confused, why had Cat Noir just used her real name? He didn't know who she was, did he?

"I said that you can just give them me to class tomorrow, Marinette." Cat Noir repeated with a knowing smile, confirming that he somehow knew who she was. "You don't have to sneak them into my locker again to give them to me. This way you won't run into Plagg eating his cheese, a sight I would never deliberately inflict upon anyone, trust me I have seen that horror way too many times to count."

Marinette felt her mouth fall open and her eyes go wide. Not only did Cat Noir know who she was but it seemed that he was in fact Adrien. Her love was her flirty partner who also loved her back, well he love Ladybug back but they could work on that. That could wait though, first there was a lot more that needed to be explained but given what happened earlier, Adrien being Cat Noir made a lot more sense than Plagg being a thief.

"Adrien?"

* * *

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said once Marinette realized who he was, or at least asked for conformation on that. Now that she knew, it was best to all his transformation to drop as he smiled at her, glad the secret was out. "Yup, it's me. I figured it out after you spoke about Plagg being in my locker and using details he had said to me about what you did. Don't worry, you couldn't have known and had I not been Cat Noir you would have just told me off and that would have been it. However, because I was able to figure it out, I felt it was best to show you who I was as well."

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said and a moment later she too was standing there in civilian form with her kwami hovering over her shoulder. "But, but how? How did you know that it was me under the mask?"

"Plagg told me that you, Marinette, had been in my locker." Adrien said with a shrug. "After denying it and only confirming it after I showed him a macaroon I found there that is. Then all it took was putting two and two together to figure it out after you gave away too much during your rant. Once I knew the truth, you deserved to know as well so I gave you enough to figure it out as well."

"Damn, I thought I had gotten all the macaroons." Marinette whispered and Adrien was sure that he saw her blush at that. "Wait! Plagg said that I was there and referred to me as Marinette?"

"Well yeah but given the macaroon I had already guessed it was you." Adrien said a little confused at Marinette's question, he thought he had already explained it. "It wasn't hard, you are the only one in class who can bake them, at least to the same high quality of the one I found that is, and who would put them in my locker seeing as you have already done it for all the girls."

"Thanks." Marinette muttered blushing again before it was her turn to look confused as she glanced at Plagg. "You know that I told Plagg that I was going to be having a word with Cat Noir tonight though about all this and his actions, right? Did he tell you that?"

"No, no he did not." Adrien said shaking his head and turning to look at Plagg. "He said nothing of the sort."

Plagg was now floating backwards slightly, his paws raised in surrender and an attempt to look innocent failing miserably. Adrien noticed that both Marinette and her kwami were also glaring at Plagg but it was Marinette's kwami who said what was on all of their minds.

"I think that you have some more explaining to do Plagg." The other kwami said before adding. "Again."

 **Couldn't resist a little cliffhanger for y'all. Another shorter, interesting oneshot in this series and the penultimate one in my 12 days gift. Only one more left in this blitz but it is a special one and the longest of the 12 that have been released in 12 days so get ready for it. Due to the nature of tomorrow's oneshot, it will have a Greek flair to it but won't be as heavy on that material as others in this series, just a warning to those who do not like the oneshots that delve into the world of Greek mythology. The 51st oneshot, the first when I return to a normal schedule after tomorrow, will be one of the heavily Greek/general mythology oneshots that is borderline crossover (though 'Accent' remains the sole crossover in this series) because of the suggestion for that oneshot so it might be one to skip for those of you who do not enjoy the oneshots that rely heavily on mythology. That is all for this oneshot, as always keep the suggestions coming and keep letting me know what you think in your reviews. Until tomorrow.**

 **Stringdog**


	50. Gold

**Here it is, the 50th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series! I can't believe that we have reached 50 in this series, I never expected to reach this number when I began this collection 9 months ago. However, when it became clear that there would be 50 oneshots, I made sure to have a special oneshot just for that 50th. This is the first of so far 4 special oneshots I have planned and unique amongst my oneshots for it is the only oneshot I have ever given a title first and then decided what the contents will be based of the title. As this is the 50th oneshot, that title had to be the symbol of 50, gold. I did have to ask for some advice from the follower who has suggested at last count 27 of the 49 published oneshots in this series (and many more in the queue). This was the result of that advice, which also yielded and additional oneshot for my list. In addition to this being the 50th oneshot in this series, it is my 12th in in 12 days to complete my 12 days of Christmas special following a month long hiatus. 12 day, 12 oneshots, 61,000+ words and my single story records for reviews, chapters and words, and no missed days! It's been a wild 12 days. This is by far the longest with the draft exceeding the second longest's final product in the 12 days special and yes, I began writing this oneshot at 7:30am (EST) on the day of upload so that I could complete my 12 days binge. Anyway, that is all for this long but special note, sit back and enjoy an extra special and significant oneshot in this series, Gold.  
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 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Gold** **\- Ladybug and Cat Noir encounter Hawk Moth's latest akuma, King Midas. The akuma is appropriately named because his ability is that he can turn anything he touches with his item of power into pure gold. In one of their toughest fights yet, Adrien is touched by King Midas but doesn't instantly turn to gold. Instead, his miraculous' magic fights the inevitable. Seizing on the chance to find out who the holder of the Black Cat Miraculous, King Midas is ordered to retreat and wait it out. Without an akuma to fight, the heroes go home where Plagg explains the situation to Adrien as best he can. All Adrien has to do is avoid letting anyone see the part of him that is slowly turning to gold, then meet up after school with Ladybug to try and take out King Midas and save himself. Shouldn't be too hard for a hero of Paris, should it?  
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* * *

 **Gold**

Adrien ran across the rooftops of Paris alongside his lady as they headed straight towards where the latest akuma to terrorize their city was reported to be. All they knew was that the akuma had last been spotted in the jewelry district, but other than that the reports had been sketchy or had suddenly cut out for no apparent reason. Based on that, Adrien had a bad feeling about this particular akuma, whatever it was. He could tell that it was a strong one.

As they were running, an entire building a few hundred meters in front of them and on the far side of a small square that Adrien knew of suddenly turned to gold. That was new. Adrien had never seen an akuma with a power similar to that before, though plenty had had the power to destroy an entire building with ease. Picking up their pace, he and Ladybug sprinted across the last few roofs and flipped into the small square where the akuma was. Adrien was right, this akuma was certainly different.

As soon as Adrien landed in the square he had to shield his eyes from the glare of the gold in it, despite the late afternoon light. Everything from the ground, to the signs, cars, trashcans, benches, people, at least two news teams, and even a building was covered in pure gold that glittered in the weak light with a fine sheen of magic. Judging by the looks of panic on the faces of the people and the fact that many were in mid sprint as they leaving the square, the akuma had a very specific power. All the people were completely immobile and not made slaves of the akuma. There was only one gold covered figure that was moving in the square, which meant that it was the akuma.

Adrien had learned the hard way to always study an akuma before engaging them and that was what he did right now, studied the akuma that had turned to face them as soon as they had arrived. It was clearly a man, a little under 6 feet tall with a slightly hunched build. He had a pointed beard that made him look like an old school evil sorcerer or king and cruel eyes that shone with their own bright gold light. As soon as he saw them, he smirked showing pointed gold teeth, clearly he had been waiting for them.

The akuma was entirely made up of gold though unlike the others in the square, his gold shone brighter and moved with a fluid grace, mores similar to liquid than solid, as he paced the square waiting for them to attack, or just assessing them before he attacked. He wore a gold crown on his head, a molten gold cape hung down to his ankles and a scepter was in his left hand. Adrien felt that the scepter was more decorative rather than his actual weapon, the akuma's power would come into play when the fight began. In addition to all this, the akuma was dressed in what looked like Ancient Greek armor and Adrien had a feeling that he had heard of a myth like this once before but at the moment he couldn't quite place it. The bright gold akuma was the focus of his mind, not myths he had read as a child.

"Ah, Ladybug and Cat Noir, welcome to the party." The akuma said in a cold, cruel voice that had a distinctively metal twang to it. "I have been expecting our exulted heroes to come and face me. You are just in time to give me your miraculouses. Hand them over and there will be no trouble, not that I don't want that mind you."

"We can't let you do that, Goldie." Adrien said with a smile at the akuma and a groan from Ladybug at his failed attempt at a pun. "Surrender your akuma and we can end this peacefully, maybe even get some cash for your gold afterwards. Many have tried and many have failed to get out miraculouses, get ready to join that gold club, we got medals for y'all."

"Come and take it then." The akuma taunted as he beckoned Adrien with a gloved right hand. The glove looked out of place and Adrien instantly knew why.

"The akuma is in his glove, this won't be hard." Adrien said to Ladybug before he rushed the akuma, extending his baton into a staff as he did. In hindsight, Adrien knew that he should never have tempted fate like that.

"Cat Noir, no!" Ladybug yelled at him from behind. "He's baiting you, it's a trap you idiot!"

As always, his lady was right and as always her warning as a shade too late to be helpful. Once Adrien reached a safe distance from the akuma he swung his staff at the man in a well practiced move, aiming for the gold man's wrist in an attempt to tear the glove. The akuma reacted with the superhuman speed that all akuma's had and grabbed Adrien's baton with his gloved hand before it could do any damage.

As soon as the baton made contact with the glove, it began to turn to gold and spread down the length towards him. Adrien dropped it at once and back flipped away, cursing his rashness as he did, as his baton clattered to the ground, encased in gold.

"I was hoping to get the kitty cat as well but removing his weapon from play is a nice start to our battle." The akuma said with a feral grin at them. "I am King Midas, everything I touch turns to gold, the metal that I have long craved and until now long been denied by those who saw themselves as better than me. Finally I am as rich as I deserve to be now that all I touch turns to precious gold. No more shall I be poor, downtrodden, ignored, belittled, or looked down upon by those who think they are better than everyone else. Hawk Moth has giving me the power to turn all I touch to gold, and all I have to give him in exchange is your miraculouses, a fair price in my book. Now are we going to do this the easy way or the fun way cos I vote for the fun way."

"You are right, the akuma is in his glove, I'm sure of it." Ladybug said to him as she begun to swing her yo-yo. "We have to engage him so that when the time comes you can use you Cataclysm on it, that is the best way to destroy it. We just need to figure out how to get to that point first."

"And we need to avoid his touch." Adrien said with a nod. "This will not be easy."

"When is it ever." Ladybug said with a smile. "It wouldn't be an akuma if it was easy. Standard formation for an akuma of this type I believe is best."

Adrien laughed and nodded. No more words needed to be said, it was time to fight Hawk Moth's latest akuma. Ladybug swung her yo-yo as fast as she could before launching it into the air as she went high. Adrien charged forward going low at the akuma, though without his baton which was going to make this a little more difficult. Still, the fight was on.

"The fun way it is then." King Midas said with a sneer as he took a ready stance. "Good, I was hoping for a light fight."

It was one of the hardest fights Adrien had ever had with an akuma. Mainly because it was one of the few fights where he didn't have his baton for range and couldn't get up close and personal with the akuma because of King Midas's touch based power. Plenty of akumas had powers that had to be avoided lest you became their slave, but the only ones they had fought with a touch-based ability that came to Adrien's mind as he and King Midas traded jabs and dodges were Despair Bear and Chameleon. However, those two could only effect one person at a time, King Midas did not have that limitation it seemed.

As such, Adrien and Ladybug were forced to keep the akuma off balance while also trying to avoid his touch and trap him so Adrien could destroy the glove with his Cataclysm. He knew that Ladybug would have to use her Lucky Charm at some point but first they had to figure this akuma out. It was a tall order and one that would be hard to accomplish. In fact, it was one that they failed to accomplish as King Midas appeared to be more skilled than the usual akuma that Hawk Moth sent after them.

Ladybug had swung down from an angle with an attempt to kick the akuma in the head to daze him for the akuma's destruction while Adrien kept his focus so that he wouldn't touch her. However, King Midas had seen the move coming and had dodged suddenly, taking Adrien by surprise. Adrien was going for a body punch at the time, from a different angle to distract the akuma from Ladybug, it failed.

As King Midas twisted away, he grabbed Adrien's left wrist with his gloved hand. In one fluid motion, the akuma used his momentum and strength to hurl Adrien upwards and into Ladybug. The impact caused her to lose her grip on her yo-yo and they both crashed to the hard-gold ground where they rolled until they came to a stop a good distance away from the akuma. This wasn't their first impact and both were on their feet in an instant, there was one slight problem though.

Adrien could feel coolness begin to slowly spread on his left wrist as his arm began to get a little heavier than normal. He knew what he would see before he looked, the akuma had grabbed him there so it was to be expected. Glancing down, Adrien saw a hand shaped band of gold on his wrist and forearm. It was spreading but doing so slowly, as if it was being opposed by something. At least that was good news, he could still fight while the gold slowly took over him. Adrien wasn't out of the fight just yet, a rarity when he was the one effected by the akuma's power.

Glancing towards King Midas, Adrien noticed that the akuma had a faraway stare on his face. Adrien knew that that meant the akuma was in contact with Hawk Moth. However, the akuma snapped out of it before they could capitalize on his distraction.

"You are right Hawk Moth." King Midas said as his eyes came back into focus and he glared at them. "His power is fighting mine, two sources of corruption would do that it seems. I agree, mine will win out in the end and we will have the miraculous, which I will take before it turns to gold. However, I think it best if I leave for a while. That way we know who Cat Noir really is when a civilian starts to show the signs of my gold. Then it is just a matter of time before I take my prize. Goodbye for now pathetic heroes."

With that King Midas turned and ran towards the gold building he had created. Adrien and Ladybug gave pursuit but before they could reach the akuma, he had run into the side of the building and disappeared from sight, as if the gold has swallowed him whole. They searched the area for a few minutes but found nothing, King Midas was gone.

It was rare that an akuma would flee rather than fight them but Adrien had to admit, it was a good idea. This way they could learn who he was once the gold turned him in a place that King Midas hadn't attacked. They needed to leave before people returned and saw what was going on and Adrien needed some answers from Plagg about why his power was preventing the gold from spreading any faster than it already was.

"We have to go." Adrien said when they regrouped in the square after failing to find the akuma. "Before people realize what has happened."

"Can you get home alright?" Ladybug asked concerned as she looked at the new gold addition to his outfit. "Your staff is gold."

Adrien picked up the staff, it was a staff at the moment as the baton had been extended when it had been touched, and looked at it. He should be able to carry it and they were in one of the upscale areas of the city, his home wasn't far. Plus, he had super agility, he could leap pretty high at the moment. He could easily get home without a problem.

"I will be fine." Adrien said with a nod. "I can get home, transform, and ask my kwami about this. He might be the only person who knows why I am not a gold statue."

As Adrien spoke he showed his left arm to his lady so that she could take a closer look at it. The spread of the gold was slow, the hand print still there, so Adrien hoped he had a while before it took over completely, or at least reached an area that would render him immobile or unconscious that it.

"He should be able to explain a bit more." Adrien continued. "We need answers before we find King Midas again."

"And what if the gold becomes noticeable?" Ladybug asked, she was clearly more concerned than he was, though Adrien was trying to put on a brave face for her. "What then?"

"Then I stay in and in 24 hours we transform and contact each other." Adrien said quickly thinking of a plan. "That way I will be Cat Noir when the gold immobilizes me so they don't know who I am and cannot get my miraculous. Trust me, this is for the best."

"We still need to defeat King Midas." Ladybug pointed out. "So when we transform tomorrow, we meet back here, regardless of your condition, and try to get him to show himself. Then I use my Lucky Charm first and ask questions later, we cannot allow him to run around on the loose for long, though I think he will hide until the gold becomes noticeable on you."

"Agreed." Adrien said with a nod. "That is a good plan as always bugaboo. However, it is time to go and see what I can learn of this gold problem I know have, shame it isn't a gold medal for my looks."

"Very well." Ladybug said biting her lip nervously, though she rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke. "I don't precisely trust your part of the plan but I trust you. Go home and find out what you can, I will see you back here tomorrow. Tomorrow we end this. No akuma has defeated us yet and I am not going to let some shiny man made of gold beat me."

"Agreed m'lady, we haven't lost yet." Adrien said firmly. "And like you, I don't intend to start now."

Adrien gave his lady a salute before he turned and ran in the direction of his home, not hearing if she responded to him. Without his staff working, he couldn't vault, but he could jump so it wasn't hard to get to the rooftops. From there it was an easy trip home, so long as he avoided the security cameras at his house.

Hopefully Plagg would have some useful answers for him when he dropped his transformation. Never before had an akuma escaped defeat like this, which wasn't good. Adrien had a feeling that this was only the beginning of something more serious to come.

* * *

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said once he was safely back in his room and hissed in pain as the transformation covered his left arm and came in contact with the akuma's magic. It appeared that the gold would stay and the transition wasn't painless, though the pain disappeared quickly which was good.

"Cheese!" Plagg yelled as he headed straight for the stash that Adrien kept in his room.

Adrien didn't mind. He needed his kwami happy and strong to explain what was going on and a full Plagg was an open Plagg. As Plagg was scoffing down a few pieces, or more likely a few wheels of, Camembert, Adrien inspected the gold that was now on his left arm.

Fortunately it was only affecting his skin, likely because the Cat Noir suit was effectively his skin while transformed, so Adrien could cover it with a glove and a jacket when he needed to leave his room. However, it had already spread. The finger marks left by King Midas' hand were fatter now and Adrien realized that his wrist had locked up from the gold spreading over it. He could move his fingers but his wrist was useless now It was still slow, several hours at least before a major problem, but it would still be a problem in the morning.

Adrien touched it with his right hand. The gold was cool to the touch and felt solid. Given the weight, Adrien had no doubt that it was more than skin deep. By the time Adrien had finished inspection it and looked up, Plagg was done and floating back with a final piece of cheese in his paws, a look of concern on his face for once.

"Alright Plagg, what's happening?" Adrien asked once his kwami had returned. "I have a feeling that you know what is going on."

"You are turning to gold and my power is fighting to destroy it at the same time." Plagg said as he looked over the gold on Adrien's arm, while eating the cheese at the same time. "My power is losing which means that Nooroo has drawn this directly from the source, which is the only thing powerful enough to win against my own power. Nooroo has drawn this directly from the original King Midas."

"The Ancient Greek king from mythology who turned things to gold with a touch." Adrien said remembering the story at last. "I remember that story, one of the slightly tamer ones given what else happened in Greek mythology."

"That's the asshole, though he did exist in real life, all of the myths did." Plagg said with a nod, still staring at the gold. "Greedy fucker who asked for the wrong gift from the gods if I recall correctly, though I can't remember all the details, the wine flowed freely back then. I do recall having a few run ins with him back in the day, he even turned one of my holders to gold when we tried to confront him. That's how I know what is happening."

"Glossing over the fact that you seemed to think that he existed." Adrien said not believing his kwami for a moment. "Can we stop this and why is it spreading slowly at the moment."

"Oh, Midas was real, dude could throw a mean party before the gold addiction took hold of him, but alas he went a little crazy with greed after he got his touch." Plagg said as he continued to look over the gold with a surprisingly keen eye. "And you know that the only way to destroy this is to destroy the akumatized object and purify it. However, as for why you aren't a fine gold statue right now is because my power knows Midas' so they are fighting each other. I am the Kwami of Destruction and old Midas' power was also destruction based so they fought when they were last in contact. His is God based though whereas mine is Guardian, and not the right Guardian for a metal based power at that, so his power won out in the end and my holder had to relinquish me to his brother before he turned completely to gold, one of the few I have actually lost."

"And how long will it take for it to consume me?" Adrien asked a little worried if Plagg's story was true, but he knew that because this was an akuma based power he should be fine so long as they defeat the akuma.

"About 48 hours." Plagg said looking over it one last time before floating upwards and looking at him. "Maybe longer as you have been using me more than most so my powers have bleed into you more than most. Also, my power knows Midas' now so it can fight it better than last time, last time it took 15 hours to completely transform my holder into a new, priceless, gold statue in Midas' court. It will still lose in the end but you now have the time to find the akuma, destroy his glove that holds the akuma, and return yourself to normal. Even if you failed on that front, Ladybug will get an ally who can help defeat King Midas, a name that will have the original Midas turning in the underworld or wherever he is I think he escaped a few years back, so you ultimately have nothing to worry about."

"So, there is nothing more I can really do right now." Adrien said as Plagg basically confirmed what he had suspected, though Plagg had given him longer to last than Adrien thought he would before the gold took over and added a few things that Adrien doubted were true to his explanation.

"Pretty much." Plagg said with a helpful nod. "I could ask around tonight. I usually don't go out after a fight but I am still fresh and this is an slightly different situation to poker with the guys. I have a few contacts who might be able to explain what is going on a little more, or at least put me in contact with the being I need to talk to about this. Problem is, she doesn't particularly like me at the moment and I owe her a lot after accidentally destroying part of her palace a few millennia ago because I needed to win a bet and her palace was in the way. Still, I'll see what I can do, though this isn't worth calling in favors for given the fact that we will defeat this akuma tomorrow."

"Thanks." Adrien said as he began to take his clothes off, not really focusing on all that Plagg was saying. It was getting late and he was in need of some sleep.

"Now do you recon we could shave some of this metal off your arm or staff." Plagg said pointing first to Adrien's arm and then to the staff on his sofa that had not returned when Adrien had dropped his transformation as he had hoped. "It could come in handy if we can."

"Why?" Adrien asked hesitantly giving Plagg a wary look. "Because you are not trying that with my arm."

"Well the why is important." Plagg said as he flew over to the staff and began to inspect it. "If Nooroo is as good as I know he is, this is Midas grade gold we are talking about, or as close to it as Nooroo can replicate, the thirst highest grade gold in existence. Your staff alone is worth some serious change, enough to pay off at least a third of all my debts if I had to guess and given what I owe that is saying something. This would come in handy tonight in smoothing my way to getting a meeting with who I need to speak too. The Guardian of Metal is one of only two people who can produce a higher quality of gold, in her case it is the highest quality of gold in the world given her powers but she is the Guardian of Metal after all. Freya's tears of red gold are a close second but she would never cry for me, I owe her and her brother way too much after my years in Sweden and Norway, enough that I have a significant bounty on my head in Vanaheimr, and in Malmo but I won't go into that. Midas was always third on that list and this staff would really help. Though once the akuma is purified and the staff fixed and returned to you I would be up shit's creek without a paddle so maybe not."

"You are not taking my staff or anything from it." Adrien said unsure of whether or not Plagg was joking and deciding that it was best to just ban him from it and ignore anything Plagg had been ranting about that Adrien didn't understand. He tended to ignore his kwami when he got like this. "Now I am going to bed."

"It will be worse in the morning." Plagg warned as Adrien got into bed. "We will need to figure out what to do then but my power will work as hard as it can to slow the gold's spread while you sleep."

"Yes, we will but for now goodnight." Adrien said to his kwami as he turned off his light. "See you in the morning Plagg, hopefully we can avoid any more problems tomorrow."

"We will don't worry." Plagg said as Adrien closed his eyes. "I will see what I can get out from my contacts tonight."

"You do that, I'm going to sleep." Adrien mumbled, not realizing that Plagg was already gone.

With that Adrien rolled over and fell asleep. It had been a long, eventful, stressful day and he was exhausted. Adrien knew it would be worse when he woke up but hopefully it would be more manageable by then and it wouldn't cause a problem when it came down to leaving his room.

Adrien wanted to go to school in the morning, so long as his arm wasn't too bad. If he did, Adrien knew he could cover it up, nothing should happen that would give him away, of that he was sure.

* * *

Adrien groaned as he woke up to his alarm clock beeping at him. Rolling over, he slapped his hand down on the clock to turn it off so that he could get up. That was when he heard the sound of it shattering and sat bolt upright. That was not normal.

Adrien looked over to his bedside table and blinked away the sleep from his eyes to see that the entire clock was smashed to pieces and the table underneath cracked as well. Confused Adrien glanced down at his left arm. As soon as he saw the gold there everything from the day before came back in a rush.

His entire forearm was gold. The akuma's power had spread while he had slept and now encased his hand and forearm, though he could still bend his elbow for the moment. Adrien's sleep addled mind and muscle memory had ignored that when the alarm had gone off and the clock had been no match for the tough metal that his arm was now sporting.

"Damn, that is definitely Midas quality gold." Plagg said flying over from his bed to examine the shattered clock. "Tough as steel and yet still beautiful to look at with absolutely no dents or scratches from what just happened."

"Great." Adrien mumbled as he got out of bed and headed to the shower for a quick rinse. "I'll be back in a moment, help me set up a sling for my arm, I have an injury to fake if I am going to be able to go to school."

"But you know I hate it there." Plagg wailed with a little too much emotion to be real. "We have an excuse to stay in."

"I spent years locked up in this house." Adrien said shaking his head. "I will only stay in if I absolutely have to and this isn't bad enough to reach that level, yet. We are going to school and that is final."

Adrien heard Plagg sigh but the the kwami didn't argue, only resumed his poking around of the shattered alarm clock for some reason as Adrien closed the door to the bathroom. Adrien took a quick shower, unsure what to do with the new gold accessory he had, before returning to find Plagg had somehow found a proper medical sling somewhere.

"What?" His kwami asked at Adrien's inquisitive look at the sling. "Oh that. Yeah I keep one of them around just in case it is needed, habit when dealing with my holders, they seem to get a few injuries with me. I inspected the clock, no fragments of gold unfortunately so I won't be able to use them but the gold is spreading as expected. I couldn't reach the Guardian of Metal; her consciousness is apparently not here but in the Known Lands on a classified mission for the Master Guardian according to my friends so she was unreachable for something as minor as this. Looks like we are just going off my past experience with Midas' touch."

"Well at least we have a sling" Adrien said not really knowing how to respond to Plagg as he began to get dressed.

It wasn't easy with only one hand but he managed, with a little help from Plagg. The gold had spread to his fingers and made then immobile and freezing them in the position they had been in while he had slept, though a mitten would still fit over them so he could still cover them pretty well.

Once Adrien was fully dressed, minus his jacket, Plagg helped set up the sling so that it covered all the gold from sight and held Adrien's arm in place as if it was really injured. Technically it was injured so a sling actually made sense.

"Once the gold spreads to your elbow, your arm will freeze in this position." Plagg said as he helped tied off the sling behind Adrien's neck. "I expect that to occur within the hour, two at the most. We were lucky you woke up when you did. It would have been a lot harder if you couldn't bend your elbow, we probably wouldn't be able fake an injury like this if you couldn't bend it."

"That's good." Adrien said was he pulled his jacket on over it and made sure that everything was covered. "It will be easier to explain as a fencing injury and we can still go to school like this."

Plagg just nodded as he helped Adrien with his bag before diving into it himself. The last thing Adrien did before leaving his room was make sure that his staff was hidden. The cleaning staff didn't usually go into his room, it was one of the few aspects of privacy Adrien had, but that still didn't mean it was fully private. He did not want to have to explain why he had a solid gold staff with Cat Noir's logo on it to anyone.

With the staff hidden, Adrien was ready. He left his room and headed downstairs. There he ate the prepared breakfast in the dinning room that Nathalie had had laid out for him while she gave him his schedule for the day. Once he was done, Adrien headed to the car.

"Sprained my shoulder fencing the other day." Adrien said when Nathalie had pointedly glanced at his sling after breakfast. "Nothing to worry about I am just being precautious that's all. I would rather my father not learn about it."

"Your father is busy at the moment and does not wish to be disturbed for a while as he is in the creative zone, he will not know." Nathalie said professionally. "I will make sure there are fresh supplies in your room to treat it when you return. You are right, it is best to be precautious."

"Thank you." Adrien said gratefully as he got into the car and left for school.

All be had to do was survive the day at school, stick to his story, and wait for the day to end so that he and his lady could go find and kick King Midas' ass. How hard could that be?

* * *

It turned out that it wasn't that hard at all, at least Adrien was thinking that as the last bell rang and he prepared to go home. The day had been uneventful and nothing untoward had yet happened. His luck was probably going to hold out in the end. Adrien should have known better than to tempt the fate the way he was but he didn't.

He had shown up just in time for class but not late enough to avoid having to explain away the sling. His class bought his excuse of a strained shoulder from fencing that was still sore and needed to be rested before he fenced again. No one bothered him about it after his explanation for the sling, though his friends did help him with his books and tasks as he couldn't do anything with his left arm.

Despite his explanation, they were still concerned, especially Marinette for some reason, but they all accepted it as fact and didn't bother him other than to help. This got better after he reassured them that he would be fine in a day or two after he had a little rest and didn't strain it too much. Adrien was touched by their concern for him, it was nice to have friends again.

Fortunately, his injury had distracted them from the fact that there was still an akuma on the loose in Paris, something that the news would not shut up about given how a portion of Paris was now covered in gold with little explanation for why other than that it was an akuma attack. There was a lot of speculation about it but without the akuma or Ladybug and Cat Noir to explain what had happened, there was no answers for the media regarding the sudden gold problem in Paris. For Adrien, gold was a certainly a problem at the moment.

All day Adrien had been feeling it slowly creeping up his arm, making his skin crawl and go cold as it did so. It was a strange feeling as it snaked its way up his arm, one he couldn't place or distract himself from. All Adrien could do was power through it and hope he wasn't showing any discomfort from it.

The gold had passed his elbow by the end of the first class and locked his lower arm in place from that point on. Now, as he was preparing to leave and head home, the gold had reached his shoulder and almost locked that joint in place. He needed to get home and fast as Adrien expected it to reach his neck within an hour or two and that would be a lot harder to hide. However, as Adrien was walking down the stairs towards the car, fate chose that moment to intervene, he had been tempting it for far too long.

"See you tomorrow Alya, I really need to get home, my parents need me." Marinette called from behind him as she ran out of the school. "Hopefully we can watch it some other time."

Adrien turned to say goodbye to his friend right as she ran into him at the top of the steps. Marinette had been looking back into the school while she was running, a bad idea for someone as clumsy as her, so she hadn't noticed Adrien until it was too late and ran right into him standing there.

Adrien stumbled back a pace but somehow kept his footing. Marinette on the other hand had run directly into Adrien's hardened, gold covered, shoulder and bounced off to land painfully on her ass on the stones.

"Marinette I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Adrien said quickly as he rushed over to his friend to help her up, bending down to do so and not realizing that he was giving her a clear view of the gold on his arm that had been revealed when Marinette had accidentally dislodged the sling.

"You're here, I'm always ok when you are here." Marinette said blushing and rubbing her chest where she had struck him as Adrien helped her up, hopefully it hadn't hurt her too much but she had just run into metal. Adrien was so concerned for his friend that he didn't notice Marinette's eyes go wide as he helped her up. "Um, Adrien, are you ok, you know with your shoulder."

"Yeah it's just a little sore that's all." Adrien said hoping the lie would work. "You didn't help but it will be ok in a day or two, don't worry about it."

"No, Adrien." Marinette said looking at his arm seriously, speaking quietly and in a tone Adrien had only ever heard Ladybug use around him before. "No, you are not ok at all. You need to come with me. We have to talk in private. Now."

Before Adrien could respond, Marinette had grabbed his good arm and was dragging him down the steps and away from school as fast as was safe. Adrien had no idea what had caused Marinette's sudden and unexplained shift in demeanor but he had a feeling that it wasn't good. Confused, he decided that it was best to just go with her and see what she wanted. Hopefully it wasn't too bad, this was Marinette after all, nothing bad happened to her.

* * *

Marinette knew precisely what she had seen when Adrien had helped her up. She also knew what she had felt when she had run into him, she had felt something that definitely wasn't human skin and bone. It was hard, unyielding and hurt like hell when she had made contact with it. However, when Adrien had helped her up she had seen the gold on his left arm and all the pain from the impact disappeared with that sight, her mind was now focused elsewhere.

It was the same arm that Cat Noir had been touched on the day before by King Midas and if it was on Adrien then that meant one thing, Adrien was Cat Noir! It had to be. Only Cat Noir had the ability to slow down the spread of gold King Midas' touch apparently, and given the fact that Adrien's left arm was immobile and encased in it, that meant that he had to be Cat Noir or else he would be fully gold.

There were a lot of other things that this information brought to Marinette's mind, like Cat Noir's love for Ladybug, that they had to deal with because of this revelation but that could wait until after they had defeated King Midas. Right now Marinette knew that they had more pressing things to deal with than their feelings for one another, though that was at least one weight off her mind in the long run.

The gold issue that was at hand was not good, not good at all. Marinette needed to talk to Adrien right away and sort this out so that they could figure out what they needed to do. She needed to get him alone where she could have a very frank talk with the boy she loved, which meant taking him to her room as her parents would be in the bakery all day working on a custom order and it was the nearest location that was private for what they needed to talk about. All she needed was an excuse to yell at his bodyguard and she had one already in mind.

"I need to take Adrien to my place right away." Marinette said quickly to him as they passed the burly man. "My uncle is coming in from China today and I need Adrien's help as a translator given his limited French. I hope you don't mind but this is one of his activities and Adrien is the only person I know who can speak Chinese. It will be good practice for him."

The bodyguard grunted but shook his head to indicate that it was ok for Marinette to take Adrien with her. Marinette saw that the bodyguard had gotten into his car and would follow them in order to wait outside the bakery but that would be expected, he would be easy to avoid when they left to find and face King Midas.

Marinette just focused on getting the likely very confused Adrien to her room. The situation was such that it had burned out her usual awkwardness around him, a good thing given what she had just seen and what was about to happen. In no time, she was back in her house and had ushered Adrien up to her room, helping him as best she could given his current limitation.

"Alright Marinette, what is going on?" Adrien asked in a confused tone as Marinette shut the trap door behind them. "Why am I here? Your uncle isn't in town as far as I know so what is so urgent that you had to lie to get me here?"

"No, he's not in town, you are right that we are here for a different reason." Marinette said quickly shaking her head before she pointed at his arm. "We are here because of your injury. Adrien, I saw why your arm is in a sling when you helped me up and I felt it before that when I ran into you. I know you don't have a sprained shoulder or sore shoulder or whatever. Adrien, I saw the gold there, I know that means that you are Cat Noir."

"What?" Adrien asked, though this time his confusion was feigned as his eyes had gone wide in shock. "I told you that I sprained it fencing. That's all."

"Adrien I know that you are right handed and fence with your right arm, I've watched you and Kagami fence a lot." Marinette said shaking her head. She had been confused about that all day as she knew Adrien couldn't have injured his left should fencing, at least now she had her answer and proof that Adrien's excuse was made up. "And your injured shoulder is your left, the same arm that Cat Noir was touched on by King Midas yesterday. I should know, I witness it happen."

"The only person who saw King Midas touch me was Ladybug." Adrien said quickly confirming everything that Marinette had just figured out before his shock doubled as he realized the full extent of what was going on.

Marinette had said what she had said deliberately. The situation was not a good one and seeing as she had just found out, it was Adrien's turn to find out. They needed to help each other right now, secrets be damned. Now that Adrien had realized the truth as well, they could sort this out and then find King Midas. Adrien still had a reaction, one that Marinette cut off very quickly

"Oh…"

* * *

"That's right kitty, I am Ladybug." Marinette interrupted and nodding to confirm Adrien's suspicion based on what she had said about seeing his injury. "Tikki, Plagg, you two can come out now. We have to deal with this situation right away."

In seconds the kwamis were out and any chance that the secrets would be kept were gone. Marinette was his lady, his love, she was Ladybug. Adrien knew that there was a lot to deal with regarding this sudden revelation but as Marinette had pointed out, they had to address the gold problem first, including finding and defeating King Midas. At least this explained her sudden reaction after he helped her up and her actions in getting him here, he had been confused until Marinette had revealed that she knew his secret because of her secret.

"Well this was unexpected." Plagg said breaking the silence. "But at least it was Marinette who saw it and no one else. Otherwise there would be a lot more to deal with. I still stand by my suggestion to stay home but you didn't listen."

"There still is a lot to deal with and this has actually helped so going to school was the right decision." Adrien pointed out as he took off his jacket and sling, his arm not moving at all meaning that the gold had passed his shoulder joint by this point. "As y'all know, we have a more pressing issue to deal with."

"Adrien's right." Marinette said as she glanced over at him and he noticed her wince at the gold on his arm. "The gold is spreading to his neck so soon Adrien won't be able to fight King Midas, at least not well I think."

"Plagg." The other kwami, Tikki Marinette had called her, said. "Am I right is assuming that Nooroo has used the real King Midas' power in this akuma. It's pretty much the only explanation for this kind of result."

"Correct." Plagg said with a nod. "My power is fighting it but losing like it did last time. I predict that we have at most a day before Adrien is completely covered and only a few hours before it reaches his face rendering him useless. Nooroo is meddling with powers he doesn't understand, again."

"He's being forced to do so." Tikki said shaking her head sadly. "He knows better than to mess with a God given punishment power otherwise. He would only tap into a power as dangerous as Midas' touch if he was forced to do so by his human and Hawk Moth would totally do that."

"True." Plagg said with a nod. "Still, Forge won't be happy when she learns that Nooroo has been messing with her element. Midas' touch may be God given but it is still a metal based power and as such falls under her jurisdiction."

"The Guardian of Metal can join the very long queue of beings who are looking forward to a nice long chat with Hawk Moth in the afterlife." Tikki said to which Plagg nodded in agreement. Adrien was completely lost. "For now, though, we need to beat this akuma."

"Er yeah that is what we have to do." Adrien said interrupting what felt like a private, in group, conversation between the kwamis. "We can deal with this later."

"King Midas can't have gone far." Marinette said firmly. "I say we transform, go back there and find him. Just as we planned yesterday and this time I will use my Lucky Charm first, this is one of those few situations that mandates it be used at the onset of a battle."

"Good plan bugaboo." Adrien said with a nod at Marinette. "And we can lure him out by pointing out that I am almost immobile and won't be able to protect my miraculous for long."

"That would work, good idea Adrien." Tikki said with a smile. "Well? What are you kids waiting for. Transform and defeat this akuma. The unresolved feelings between you that this reveal has no doubt cause can be dealt with later. You two have a job to do first."

"Tikki's right." Marinette agreed. "We can talk once King Midas has been defeated. Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said as Marinette transformed into ladybug.

Again, Adrien's transformation wasn't a pleasant one and he hissed in pain as the transformation covered the gold part of his body but the pain dissipated quickly. The gold was now part of his suit, extending from his hand to his shoulder and locking all the joints it covered in place. Despite the immobility, Adrien thought that the gold went well with the black suit. His baton had not appeared however, not that Adrien had been expecting it to.

"Your baton?" Marinette asked noticing the lack of his weapon.

"Hidden in my room." Adrien said shaking his head. "Still gold last I checked and that was this morning when I hid it to avoid suspicion. I think the akuma's power is messing with it but Plagg didn't say anything about that, he was more interested in seeing how much it was worth. Don't ask, I didn't understand his strange explanation."

"Alright well you can get there without it I presume." Marinette said as she opened the trapdoor in her ceiling and helped him out, making sure that the coast was clear in the process.

"Of course m'lady." Adrien said with his usual Cat Noir grin, for once getting a blush instead of an eye roll from Ladybug with it. A strange but welcome reaction. "I can run and leap, though you might need to help me with larger gaps and just in case I stumble. I am a Miraculous Holder, I know my limitations when I am transformed."

"That I can do." Marinette said with a nod. "I have helped you out of a lot worse in the past. This is nothing compared to the Reverser attack."

"That you have." Adrien agreed as Marinette grabbed him around the waist and swung them away. "Reverser was a lot worse."

Once they were on a nearby set of roofs they began to run towards were the akuma had been. This was something Adrien could do without help, though his balance was a little off at times. Soon it would all be over, soon everything would be back to normal as was always the case when they won.

So long as they could defeat King Midas that was and given what had happened the last time, that seemed like a challenge. Adrien was more than ready to face that challenge, he had a score to settle with their current akuma and Cat Noir always settled his scores.

* * *

There was nothing in the square that they had fought in the day before other than the gold. No trail, no evidence, hell there looked like there hadn't been a fight at all. All that was left was the large amount of gold, all untouched, and police tape cordoning the area off from the rest of the city. A few policemen were there trying to figure it out while also keeping away any spectators but they let Adrien and Marinette in as soon as they saw them. This was an akuma matter which gave them ultimate jurisdiction to deal with it.

"Looks like King Midas isn't here." Adrien said to himself as he looked around the square while Marinette spoke with Lieutenant Rodger to clear the area of any civilians.

"He will be here." Marinette said returning to him once the police began to retreat to a safe distance. "Once we persuade him to show. Given the fact that you have limited mobility at the moment and would lose easily in a fight, I feel like he will be here shortly. Your miraculous alone is too tempting for him to stay away for long."

"I am here right now and I am going to take your miraculous, Ladybug." King Midas said in his cold voice as he formed out of the gold behind Marinette. That was new, it seemed that he could become the gold as well, which explained how he had fled yesterday and was certainly not good for them.

"Mar…I mean m'lady!" Adrien shouted almost revealing her identity but stopping himself at the last minute. "Watch out!"

Acting on instinct, Adrien shoved Marinette out of the way, she wouldn't be hurt from something like a simple shove, saving her in the nick of time. King Midas had been trying to swipe at Marinette's back to turn her to gold and take her miraculous. Instead, his gloved hand glanced off Adrien's gold shoulder before his fingers scored along Adrien's chest. The result was 4 lines of pure gold across Adrien's chest that slowly began to spread, at the same rate as the other gold on his body. It might be slow but it was more akuma gold and that meant it would add up and cut his available time in at least half.

"Damn." Adrien said as he rolled away from the akuma and slowly used his good arm to get up, inspecting the latest strike. "Well at least he can't effect the gold already on me."

He could feel his breathing getting shallower as the gold slowly affected his chest. This was not good, they needed to end this, now. Adrien wasn't sure how much time he had left before the magical gold stopped a function he needed to move and fight.

"I think we need to even the playing field." Marinette said as she threw her yo-yo in the air and added. "Lucky Charm!"

What fell down from Marinette's special power was a mesh net, in the expected ladybug print that all her items had. Marinette stared at it in confusion for a moment before glancing first at the akuma and then at him as her Lucky Charm vision, or whatever it was Adrien still wasn't sure about that aspect of her power, kicked in. It looked like she had an idea of how to defeat King Midas at last. In hindsight, they should have done this first but that was why hindsight was a bitch.

"Ha! You think that will defeat me." King Midas taunted them. "You will not succeed. All I touch turns to gold. No net will work on me. Soon Cat Noir will be unable to move and I can claim his miraculous at my leisure. You will stand no chance against me alone Ladybug. I have won."

"What do you think my plan is." Marinette responded with a smirk. "Ad…Cat Noir, charge him. Use your gold to protect yourself and your right hand."

"Will do m'lady." Adrien said as he ran at King Midas. "It will be my pleasure to take this fucker down."

The akuma just smirked as he awaited Adrien's attack, hand raised and ready to use his own power. Adrien charged, leaping at the last minute to shoulder charge King Midas. The akuma tried to get his hand onto a part of Adrien that was still flesh but Adrien twisted at the last second so that King Midas' hand hit his already gold shoulder doing nothing.

The force of the blow caused both Adrien and King Midas to fall back to the gold-plated ground. Adrien rolled away but the akuma still managed to score a strike on the back of Adrien's right calf with his flailing hand causing gold to begin to spread there as well. Still, his attack had worked as planned.

Marinette has used the distraction to throw the net over King Midas' prone form. The akuma, still on his back, raised his right hand instinctual and as soon as it made contact with the net it turned to gold. That had been his lady's plan all along it seemed as the net instantly became heavy and fell on top of King Midas, pinning him to the gold covered ground under the weight of the magical, solid gold, net.

"Use your Cataclysm now Cat Noir!" Marinette ordered. Adrien didn't need to be told twice.

"Cataclysm!" Adrien yelled after he had slowly got up.

With his right hand glowing with destructive power, Adrien limped, his leg wasn't doing well with the gold slowly seizing up his calf muscle and headed towards King Midas. It was time to defeat this akuma.

"This ends now." Adrien said with glee in his voice as he reached King Midas.

"NOOOO!" The akuma wailed but it was too late as Adrien placed his glowing right hand on the exposed fingers of the akuma's glove that poked through the net.

The glove disintegrated under Adrien's special power. Instantly a purple/black butterfly flew out of the dust of the akumatized object. Marinette wasted no time in acting, they needed to purify it right away.

"Time to de-evilize!" Marinette yelled as she caught the butterfly in her open yo-yo and purified it before releasing the now white butterfly. "Goodbye little butterfly."

Marinette then grabbed the gold net and yanked it off the akuma. It was stiff but she managed it, likely because the magic of her power. Adrien watched as Marinette used all of her strength to throw it high into the air and yelled.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The net exploded and millions of magical ladybugs flew around Paris cleaning up the magical mess as they always did. They surrounded Adrien and a second later he was completely gold free with is baton on his belt. They had won and Adrien could breath freely and move his left arm again.

"Pound it." Adrien said offering his left fist to Marinette to show that he was completely healed but instead she hugged him, similar to how he had hugged her after the Animan attack.

"Let's go." She whispered in his ear still hugging him. "We need talk."

"Lead the way, m'lady." Adrien whispered back.

Marinette broke off the hug, smiled at him, turned and swung away. Adrien just shook his head as he extended his baton to follow her, thrilled to use his staff to vault through Paris once more. He had missed it during that close battle.

Marinette led him back to her place, landing gracefully on her roof the way only Ladybug could. Adrien followed suit while Marinette looked around to make sure the coast was clear before opening the trap door and ushering him down. Adrien did so, making sure the room was empty in the process, as his ring beeped to indicate 2 minutes left. Marinette followed, her earrings beeping as well.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said as soon as the trap door had closed to indicate that they were safely in the room, her transformation dropping.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said dropping his own transformation as well before turning and smiling at Marinette and asking. "What now bugaboo?"

Adrien didn't get anything out before Marinette tackled him to the ground in a bear hug. The next ting Adrien knew, Marinette was enthusiastically kissing him, an enthusiasm that Adrien reciprocated with in kind.

"Come on Plagg, let's give them a moment alone." Adrien heard Tikki say from somewhere above them. "I will show you where we keep the Camembert, just try not to eat it all."

"You had me at Camembert." Plagg said happily. "Lead the way sugar cubes, our humans will be busy a while and I have a date with the fair lady Camembert. I will make no promises regarding my consumption of the finest food in the world for one can never consume too much Camembert."

Adrien didn't hear Tikki respond so he assumed that the kwamis had left the room. It didn't matter anyway, he had something much more important to focus on at the moment.

"That was unexpected." Adrien said with a smile at Marinette as she finally broke their kiss, blushing furiously from it. She was still on top of him and neither of them had any desire to change position. "But not unwelcome, m'lady."

"Well know that I know who Cat Noir is, things have changed." Marinette said with a dazzling smile of her own at him. "I know that Cat Noir loves me so I decided that this was the best way to confess my own feelings for you. I would have done it sooner but we had an akuma to defeat first and you were injured at the time, both of which unfortunately took precedence to this."

"Well yeah those issues were more important and yeah I wasn't exactly subtle about my feelings for you." Adrien replied, feeling his own cheeks start to go red at his words. "Though I didn't know that you were Ladybug, not that it makes a difference. Still, I thought you loved someone else. Why now?"

"That's the thing, that other person that I was, well am, in love with was, well, you." Marinette said with a hint of embarrassment that deepened her blush. "I kept rejecting you for, well, you. I couldn't be with Cat Noir or even give him a chance because I am in love with you, I am in love with Adrien Agreste. Now, though, well, you are Cat Noir so I know you love me back and therefore we can be together. If you want that is."

"I love you too Marinette." Adrien said quietly to relieve her sudden insecurity, meaning every word as he looked into her love filled bluebell eyes while he spoke.

Marinette just smiled and bent down to kiss him again. Adrien sunk into the moment, enjoying the bliss of their love. At last they were together, the walls that had prevented this moment, their secret identities, had finally crumbled. Now, they knew the other's secrets and it had made them better together, the reveal had brought them together. All of this thanks to an akuma who could turn anything to gold with a simple touch.

The new couple were so engrossed with their make out session that they didn't hear Marinette's trapdoor open. It wasn't until her father let out a gasp of shock and her mother a squeal of joy did they realize that they had been busted. Oh well, it was totally worth it. It was to Adrien, to use one of his many puns, pure gold.

 **Sorry, I couldn't resist ending this oneshot on a cheap and cheesy pun that Cat Noir (and Plagg) would be proud of, as well as a nice little cliffhanger again. This was by far the longest, and hopefully one of the sweetest, oneshots in my 12 days binge and the first ever Epic Class oneshot that I completed in a day but it was worth it given the special significance of this, the 50th oneshot in this series. We now return to the regularly scheduled oneshot upload period, so the next oneshot, which was one that chronologically should have been in this 12 days special blitz, will come out in a week's time. This is because the current projected length of next week's oneshot is expect to rival 'Trickster' for longest oneshot ever and like 'Trickster' it will be very Greek myth heavy so for those who don't like those oneshots you can skip it. That is all for this not, hope y'all liked the 50th oneshot in this series, keep suggesting oneshots and we might add another 50, I only need 6 more to reach 100 published or planned. As always, keep letting me know what you think of this series in your reviews, my ego can never be too big. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	51. Nemesis

**Here is the 51st oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This oneshot was suggested in a review a few months back by Djtiger901 after 'Toys', though I have taken a lot of liberties with the suggestion and this is currently the closest to an M rated oneshot that I have written in this series (though there is another planned one that will be as close) so y'all have been warned. Sorry that this is so late, I was burned out after my 12 days special, had to finish another story that was set to be finished by the end of January, I had to get back into my school schedule and my motivation to write about Ladybug and Cat Noir and their love square has been down while I await the release of Season 3 in English. I know, standard bs excuses, hopefully this Gargantuan Class, my second ever of this length, will make up for my absence. I will try to release future oneshots on time, as well as a few early to make up for my lateness, but as I am about to start a spinoff short story for my Avatar/Harry Potter crossover series and the fact that I still have to write most of it, I will not make any promises for punctuality at this stage. Though I will promise two special bonus oneshots with specific release dates (which won't be announced), one to be released this month and another in March that have been added to my oneshot list. The last thing to note here is that this, as the title suggests, is going to be a mythology and Guardian heavy oneshot, it is the reason why this oneshot is so long as a lot of set up was needed, so if that is not your thing then I understand (I have my own preferences for oneshots and skip ones I don't like), the next few ones will not feature the myth stuff.** ** **That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Nemesis.  
****

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Nemesis** **\- During a guys night down in Fracture's Ossuary in the catacombs with a few gods Guardians and Plagg, the celebration is ruined by the arrival of Nemesis, the Greek Goddess of Revenge. Why is she there? Why to tell Plagg that she has a score to settle with him. Years ago, one of the many people who Plagg and Tikki helped defeat swore revenge on those who defied him and Nemesis promised him that revenge, for a price. Now, she is here to collect. Can Plagg avoid the revenge planned by Nemesis or will he be responsible for the reveals of his and Tikki's humans to the other?  
**

* * *

 **Nemesis**

Night had fallen and the entire Agreste household was asleep, of that Plagg was sure. Adrien had fallen asleep an hour ago after an uneventful day, which was good as Plagg's human needed a good night's sleep for once with none of the stresses that Hawk Moth put on him, Adrien deserved to be a normal teen every now and then. Plagg had just confirmed that both Adrien's father and his personal assistant Nathalie were asleep, or at least in their rooms as Gabriel wasn't anywhere else and Plagg couldn't access the man's bedchamber for some reason, meaning at all three were asleep or at least not going to bother Adrien. That was good because it was time for Plagg to play.

Placing his patented sleeping sock version of himself in his bed, with the requisite alert system for an akuma activated so that Plagg could return in a heartbeat and transform with Adrien, Plagg floated out of the window and into the moonlit night. He had an appointment to make and Plagg would never miss it unless he had too, it was too fun and as much as Plagg enjoyed his time with Adrien, he needed some true adult fun that Adrien was too young for. In time he would introduce Adrien to his friends, but until then, they were Plagg's personal break from the duties of Cat Noir and he was going to enjoy his stress free break tonight.

Keeping to the shadows and allowing his natural color to blend him into the night, Plagg made his way to the nearest entrance to the Paris Catacombs. Once there, he flew to an area closed off to tourists because it was deemed to be too dangerous, due to reasons that Plagg knew were lethal to mortals, and found the hidden passage down to the lower level of the Catacombs. As always it was hidden by ancient magic that the blind mortals couldn't see but that Plagg could without a problem. The passage led down to an ossuary of a magical being whose power dwarfed most that Plagg had met and who Plagg was very happy to consider a friend.

Glancing around to make sure that he hadn't been followed, Plagg flew into the passage and down towards the ossuary, a magical sensor alerting his host that Plagg had arrived and confirming it was him by use of his magical signature. The passage Plagg was in was pitch black but Plagg's night vision made it easy for him to navigate down the long, spiraling passageway to a level that was deep underground, so deep in fact that it was considered to be part of the upper level of the Greek underworld. Plagg had arrived, it was time to party.

The passage ended with an open corridor littered with bones of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of decay. The passageway down also had bones but not on the ground the way the corridor did. Plagg knew not to fly down the corridor without invitation lest he invite some form of attack so he just waited there, hovering at eye level as he waited for his guide while the stench of death permeated his nostrils, it was a smell that Plagg had never truly gotten used too.

It didn't take long for the guide to arrive. Starting at the far end, a foot extricated itself from the other bones on the floor and began hopping down the corridor. As it hopped, and then walked as the second foot joined it, more bones added to the feet until by the time it was hallway towards Plagg it had formed a full skeleton. Even after all these years, Plagg never knew how the lower jaws stayed in place without tendons or muscles but Plagg knew better than to ask his host questions he didn't want answers too.

As the skeleton continued to walk, clothes began to appear on it. Plagg knew that this was partly for show and partly for security so he didn't roll his eyes but it was still annoying to watch this display that was reserved for invited guests. This skeleton's clothes were those of a French soldier, Plagg recognized it as the uniform worn during the American Revolution and knew that it was deliberate. Plagg sighed, he hated this part but he had learned the hard way not to barge into this place.

Plagg waited patiently, something he wasn't good at, as the soldier, now complete with saber, musket, pistol, and the rank insignia of a sergeant, raised a skeletal hand and beckoned invitingly to Plagg. Relieved, Plagg flew forward as the skeleton turned and silently led the kwami down the corridor.

The corridor ended in a gate comprised of interlocking bones, and if Plagg's memory served correctly they weren't human bones, a fact that Plagg was still unsure whether or not it disturbed him. The skeleton raised a fist and wrapped out a specific knock on the gate. Moments later it swung open and Plagg nodded his thanks to his guide as he flew into the central chamber of the ossuary where the parties were held, he had arrived.

Plagg's breath caught in his throat as he gazed around the large, deep, circular chamber. Though he had been to the central hall of the ossuary many time, the grandeur of the place always took his breath away, especially because it was only a fraction of the being's true place of power as it was only an outpost of it to serve the being's needs while in France.

The large, circular room that must have been at least 2 stories tall, possibly three as Plagg always had problems gauging heights due to his own diminutive nature. The floor was a patchwork of large bones so that none of the dirt beneath could be seen, if there was even dirt down there to begin with. It was a fact that always made Plagg glad he could fly instead of being forced to walk on the mix of bones from more species than he could count.

The walls of the ossuary were made up of stacked skulls and Plagg knew that not all of them were human. Some were animals, some monsters and some were of creatures that even the millennia old kwami could not clearly identify, though hopefully there were a few raccoons thrown into the mix as Plagg had a bad history with raccoons from his days in the States.

Around the wall were evenly spaced alcoves recessed into the skulls, each containing a fully armed and armored skeleton guard ranging from classic Spartan and Athenian military styles to Japanese samurai, a Mongol warriors, and all the way up to a modern day skeleton that was wearing the fatigues and body armor, complete with machine gun and pistol, of a French special forces commando.

As Plagg watched, his guide walked to one of two empty alcoves and entered it before turning and standing at attention, completely immobile. Plagg noticed that all the skeletal guards were standing at attention, immobile as if awaiting orders and Plagg knew that they were watching him intently, a creepy fact that always sent a shiver down his spine.

In addition to the alcoves, there were 3 other exits that Plagg knew were at the cardinal points of a compass and went off into other parts of the underground ossuary where the being lived, stored food, had guest quarters, and had other exits into the city for when there were too many mortals near the front entrance to the ossuary. It was an impressive room and severed as the formal entrance hall, mini throne room, and as such was used for functions such as the one Plagg was about to attend. All he needed was for his host to arrive.

No sooner had Plagg thought it then the host began to appear. Plagg sighed and knew that he wouldn't be able to look away so he had to watch the grand and very disgusting entrance his host loved to make whenever he could. Plagg had seen it more times than he could count and still it disturbed him whenever he saw it but at the same time the little kwami could never look away out of a sense of morbid fascination.

It started with a rumbling sound. Then a crack appeared along the floor of the hall similar to what Plagg could create with his destructive powers only more precise than Plagg's notoriously terrible aim. A skeletal hand clawed its way out of the crack before it dragged the rest of the skeleton up and out of the crack and onto the floor in a graceless manor that did not do the being justice but had to be done. The crack closed with a rumble as the skeleton slowly stood up and brushed itself off, cracking its neck in with its hands at the end with a sickening sound. Still the worst part was yet to come and Plagg knew it.

It started with the heart. A beating heart appeared in left center of the rib cage, followed by the arteries and veins that were inside of a body, though they were gold and not red to denote godly ichor and not mortal blood. After that came the rest of the organs one at a time, followed by the muscles, the eyes, gums, a massive penis and testicles that Plagg did not need to see, and then, mercifully, the skin and clothes. The process only took a minute but it always felt like an eternity and Plagg knew what an eternity felt like, he had been punished enough times to know the feeling as each punishment always seemed to last an eternity.

The man was the same as the last time Plagg had seen him a month ago, but then again he seldom changed his appearance these days. He stood just shy of 6 feet tall, with short brown hair, a matching beard, eyes, slightly tanned skin and a semi muscular build. He wore black boots, dark blue jeans and a loose t-shirt the same brownish gray color of old bones. The clothing styles changed, the man, his choice of garment color for his torso, and his accessories didn't.

A bone bracer encircled his left forearm between his wrist and elbow,a bracer that Plagg knew could shrug off a direct hit from his cataclysm without a crack making it an incredibly powerful item. In a thigh rig on his left thigh was a straight knife with a bone handle that must have come from a ball in socket joint given the bulbous end of the handle and the bone itself had intricate designs carved into it that Plagg could never identify. In the man's right hand was a long, double ended, spear with a tip resting on the ground. Plagg rarely saw the man's primary weapon out but he was in a formal entrance hall so Plagg wasn't surprised to see it, though none of the other usual formal attire or armor was present, only his primary weapon.

The last thing Plagg always noticed was the ceremonial tattoo that the man and his brethren all had tattooed on their right forearms that gave their current name and rank number, a number that Plagg knew had only changed once in history and only for those after the original 16th member of the organization. The tattoo was written in what looked like broken fragments of bones, in keeping with the man's abilities and powers, and read FRACTURE 20. Plagg smiled, it was good to see his old friend, these nights were always fun with something interesting bound to happen. The Guardians of the Elements, at least the ones that Plagg knew and hung out with, knew how to have a good time.

"Fracture, Guardian of Bones, I am honored and humbled to be invited into your Parisian home and request guest rights." Plagg said with a formal bow as he flew up the Elemental Guardian's eye line. Plagg waited for the man to nod his approval that the formal requirements for entering a Guardian's home had been met to add. "Now let's get this fucking party started."

"Plagg you degenerate bastard, you always know what you want." Fracture said with a wild grin as he collapsed his spear, put it away in a special holder in the small of his back and fist bumped Plagg. "And it's just a guy's night, the actual party is in a few months when my siblings are on a break from their various missions and we can have a more balanced ratio."

"Guys night is even better, who's coming?" Plagg asked with smile showing off his canines. "They usually end with something fun, usually because of you but at the same time are much more chill than a usual party down here."

"I am pretty sure that Bromine made sure that I drank way too much whiskey last month." Fracture said shaking his head as he snapped his fingers. A circular table of bone with 4 chairs and an empty space for Plagg to float in appeared in the center of the room while another bone table for refreshments appeared along one side of the circular chamber. "How else would I end up in a canoe on the Amazon River with some strange, definitely magical, air breathing piranhas deciding that I was a good snack. That was not a fun wake up call and I still need to find, and have words with, the god or goddess that thought air breathing piranhas were a good idea."

"So that's where you went." Plagg said shaking his head at the memory. "I was wondering where Bromine took you when he grabbed your passed out body and disappeared into a cloud of poisonous gas. Is he coming? He's always a good time."

"Alas no, the Guardian of Gas is busy at the moment." Fracture said shaking his head. "He's got some mortal party out in Hollywood where some new gas based intoxicant is all the rage or something like that which he wants to attend and he does like the mortal women. Also as the Guardian of Gas, his presence at an event like that is guaranteed and he is the kinda Guardian to make the most of it."

"Yeah I know." Plagg said remembering the womanizing Guardian who occasionally showed up to parties, often with a few nymphs on his arms. "So, who else is coming? Is Morpheus going to show his face after I beat his ass last time or is he too ashamed to face me again?"

"No, the sandman is busy tonight." Fracture said shaking his head with a smile at the memory that Plagg was referencing. "There's some minor god conference going on in the underworld which usually devolves into an all-out rager at Janus' palace with strange results. You can never tell what will happen at one of those but seeing as Nemesis is almost certainly there anything could happen, that bitch is vindictive but hopefully not our problem tonight but you never know with Nemesis. Besides, Morpheus is still planning his revenge for you in the Dreamscape, he isn't pleased that you have access to it now."

"He can bring it, I'll be ready." Plagg said with a smirk ignoring the reference to a Goddess who Plagg had no desire to see ever again, or even let know that he was active in the mortal world again. "After winning access from him, I intend to never lose it or let him try to fuck with me while I am in my glorious cheese dreams. I have full control over my dreams and the sleepwalker knows it, I will own his ass if he tries to face me in the Dreamscape, again."

"That is a sight I am glad I will never, ever, have to see." Fracture said shaking his head. "You have an unhealthy obsession with that stuff."

"Cheese is the nectar of the gods." Plagg said with a happy smile. "There is literally nothing better than it."

"No nectar is the nectar of the gods." Fracture pointed out with a laugh that Plagg had to laugh along with as he had flown right into that one. "But to each their own, I am always partial to large quantities of meat."

"Yes, well you are associated with death." Plagg said with a shake of his head. "So naturally you like to eat dead flesh, not that it is bad as I don't mind some meat from time to time and gods know I have lived off my fair share of odd and exotic jerky in the past. Anyway, who else is coming tonight? There had better be some fun gods, I want a good night. My human is out and there hasn't been an attack in a few days so this is a rare moment of calm for me and I intend to exploit it for all that it is worth."

"Dad decided to get out of the house for once and is coming up for tonight's festivities." Fracture said causing Plagg's mouth to fall open. If Fracture's father was coming that was big, rarely did a god of his stature and power come out to one of these events. "That good enough for you."

"Hades is coming?" Plagg asked still shocked at the news. "He rarely comes out of his domain, or at least to the upper levels of it as we are technically in the underworld at the moment. When is old death breath showing up?"

"Right now." A cold voice whispered into Plagg's ear from behind him.

Plagg would never admit it, not even for all the cheese in the world, but he screamed louder than any of the female kwamis had ever managed in their long lives. He also shot upwards at full speed from the shock of the God of the Underworld, well the Greek and Roman underworld that is, and one of the Big 3 gods appearing out of thin air behind him.

Plagg shot up so fast that he didn't have time to react other than to look to see that he was flying straight for the empty eye socket of a grinning skull set into the ceiling and swear loudly before impact at the fact that there were skulls set into the ceiling as well as the walls. With a crash, the kwami hit it at full speed, destroyed the skull and fell back, dazed, all the way to the chamber floor.

Plagg didn't stop himself in time, again, as he hit the floor almost as hard as he hit the ceiling though with a more muffled thump. Grumbling, Plagg brushed bone fragments off himself as he slowly and painfully floated up towards the two deities that were now staring and laughing at him.

"Did you really have to do that." Plagg said to Hades as he glared at the ancient god. The Prince of Darkness was putting away his Helm of Darkness under his soul filled black robes with a smirk at Plagg. "You scared me halfway to, well, you. Do not scare an innocent kwami, who knows what I might do."

"Have to, no, wanted to, yes." Hades said with a laugh. "It is so much fun getting one over on you Plagg and you are far from innocent though I will keep your powers in mind, it's probably best not to be on the receiving end of them. I do enjoy using my Helm whenever I can, though as this is my son's ossuary he knew I was here."

"And you didn't tell me." Plagg said turning his irritation on a still chuckling Fracture.

"Course not." Fracture said as he stopped chuckling but kept a smile on his face that looked a lot like the skull Plagg had just destroyed. "It's more fun this way, I never knew you could hit such a high octave. Plus you know my rule, you're on your own here."

"Yeah yeah I know." Plagg grumbled as he shook the remainder of the bone fragments from his body. "And that was a very masculine scream thank you very much."

"Sure Plagg, we believe you." Hades teased and Plagg just huffed at that. "What's on the agenda for tonight son? Nothing too wild I hope."

"It's just poker, beer, liquor, and snacks tonight." Fracture said gesturing to the tables as skeletal workers in waiters outfits brought in said refreshments and began placing them on the side table. "Nothing wild tonight, don't worry dad it will be as civil and chill as I can make it."

"That's what worries me." Hades said shaking his head. "You aren't great at moderation, then again none of my kids are known for that."

"Yeah last time you said that you ended up in Australia with a didgeridoo in a place that it definitely shouldn't be and a few hungry magical, hungry, dingoes around you." Plagg said causing Hades to raise an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, that was my fault for deciding that everclear and absinthe made a good mixture, especially when it was Vina pouring it for me and she likes to mess with me." Fracture said with a shrug. "Still not top 10 for my nights and something I would never, ever recommend to anyone."

"Clearly you get this from your mother." Hades said shaking his head as he touched the table with a finger, creating a black felt pad that Plagg was certain contained trapped souls, along with the necessary requirements for a game of Texas Hold 'em, including various colored, skull shaped, chips. "She was the wild one, still is hence why I only talk to Nyx when I absolutely have to but such is the nature of the primordial gods."

"Yes, well mom is like that." Fracture said with a sigh. "It's why none of us really get along with her and why Nox has a particular problem with her. The gods that dwell down in Tartarus tend to stay down there for a reason."

"Your fellow Guardian and half-sister has a problem with a lot of people." Hades pointed out and Plagg had to agree, the Guardian of Darkness was a strange woman but then again her element was Darkness, which required a lot of effort to control and caused friction at times. "But then again, a lot of you Guardians have parental issues and given the fact that my father ate me I am not one to talk about asshole parents. Now who else is coming? I like to know who I am bankrupting tonight."

"Well one of the Aesir Gods is coming as well." Fracture said as he grabbed a beer from a passing skeleton waiter. "He's in town for some motivational speaking seminar he's hosting as part of his Midgard speaking tour and has agreed to come down for a bit. He's done with his commitments in Paris and doesn't leave for Berlin for a few days so the timing is perfect."

"Well that doesn't sound like Mimir at all." Plagg said trying to remember which of the Norse Gods would be at a motivational speaking seminar in Paris. "He's the furthest thing from a motivational speaker. Good motivator for those who have drunk his water but otherwise his just an old head and minor crook."

"No, that old floating head has been having a problem with a local gang muscling in on his pachinko racket, or the Triads I can never tell with old Mimir when he starts grumbling and burbling about rival gangs." Fracture said shaking his head. "He has to deal with that at the moment and can't come tonight. Shame, I do like throwing crackers at his head when I get bored."

"So long as it doesn't have my cheese on it this time." Plagg said waving his paw in an attempt to be threatening to the Guardian of Bones and failing miserably. "That was some of the finest Camembert I have ever had that you threw away last time."

"Whatever, it was my Camembert to begin with so I can do what I want with it, anyway it is a different god." Fracture said with a wave of his hand at Plagg. "You know him but you did destroy his favorite alehouse in Asgard a few centuries ago so he may not be in a good mood with you, he tends to have a long memory."

"Wait, I think I know…" Plagg began realizing which god it was but he was interrupted by a barking laugh and a crash as the gate from the entrance hall was kicked open and off its hinges as the god himself walked in with his arm around a skeleton clad in the armor of a berserker and talking animatedly to said skeleton as if it was one of his Einherjar.

Odin had arrived in his usual fashion. Plagg groaned, as much as he liked the old Aesir god, Odin could be a bit much with his latest fad and after so many feasts in Valhalla, a habit of getting very boisterous when drunk. At least the night would certainly be interesting now that Odin had arrived.

"I'm telling you, come to one of my motivational speaking sessions in Asgard and it will change your life or your money back, that is an Odin guarantee." Odin said to the skeleton. Plagg couldn't read Fracture's skeletal assistants as they were all bone but he was sure that the skeleton was very unhappy to be the one who had to escort Odin in. "And then swing by the Hotel, my Einherjar need to learn to practice against the undead. I'll speak to Fracture about all this, he is the best when it comes to skeletal warriors after all. Don't worry you will be a new man, er skeleton, when I am done with you. What do you say Fracture? Can my new friend come to my next session in Asgard and have a few hundred skeletal warriors for a special training session in Valhalla?"

Odin finished his rant by enthusiastically patting the exacerbated skeleton on the back causing it to stumble and duck away, clacking furiously all the way back to his alcove. Odin certainly knew how to make an entrance, Plagg had to give the All Father that much, even if Odin's habit of getting involved with fads and forcing them on his Einherjar seemed a bit much to Plagg.

"Unfortunately, not." Fracture said as he was embraced warmly by Odin in what would have been a bone crushing embrace for anyone else. "My skeletons are tied to me and my power, they can only leave a place of power with me and I have no desire to fight and own all your Einherjar again, maybe in a few decades. Normally they stay in the location they are summoned to protect unless I need them while in the field. Remember, they have no souls, no minds, no nothing, they are just reanimated bones I create to do my bidding, protect my places of power, and generally make my life easier. They have some personality so that they can communicate but that is about it."

"Shame, I felt like me and that berserker had a great connection." Odin said before noticing Hades standing there. "Hades my old friend, how's one of my fellow protectors of fallen souls doing, I did not expect to see you here. You rarely leave the gloom of the afterlife you control, though it is still a lot better than Helheim."

"What did the skeleton say to Odin?" Plagg whispered to Fracture as Odin greeted the Greek death god warmly, something that was clearly uncomfortable for the notoriously cold Hades. "I don't speak skeleton."

"Few do." Fracture whispered back. "It's an inherited trait from dad. It wasn't kind, pleasant or PG-13. Let's just say that there is no point in translating the vulgar string of impressive Norse insults that my skeleton used, it would lose something in translation I think. No doubt Odin saw it as a compliment, he's like Thor in that manner, if he can't understand something he takes it as praise or affirmation for some reason."

"Odin, I am surprised you are in France." Hades was saying as he extracted himself from Odin's strong grip. "My son invites me to these things but with so many celebrations of death these days I struggle to find the time but there is one coming up in France that one of their immigrant communities is celebrating so I thought I would break away enough of my consciousness to stop by for a few hands of poker, it will be an absolute pleasure to bankrupt you tonight."

"Good luck trying, my motivation is running at light speed, I can't lose." Odin barked out with a laugh.

"We'll see about that." Hades said with a sly smirk.

"Anyway, I just got out of a great lecture on motivational speaking as part of my European tour and thought that Fracture would be hosting something while I was here." Odin continued not getting what Hades was subtly threatening. "What with the rise of magic in France as of late I couldn't resist being here, even if it isn't magic I know it is one I will learn as soon as I find out what the source of said magic is."

"Given the fact that the magic is Guardian based, kwami magic, you would have a tough time learning it." Plagg said interrupting the two very senior, powerful, and old gods. "My magic is something else entirely and y'all know it. Only a kwami can produce it thanks to the Guardian of Magic himself."

"Plagg, I thought the magic smelt like the magic of the miraculouses." Odin said as he tried to swipe at Plagg to say hello causing Plagg to dive out of the way, he did not want to be batted around by Odin's big hands, again. "Good to see you again, though you still owe me for destroying my favorite alehouse a few centuries back."

"Technically that wasn't me." Plagg said in his defense as he floated out of Odin's reach. "That was Thor and the Guardian of Thunder getting drunk and testing Thor's tolerance for lightning because Trixx dared them to do so. I did not tell the thunder god to fart when he did, nor did I expect such an explosive result to occur due to the built of of lightning exploding out of his ass. It was impressive though."

"Yes, you must be careful when Thor, meat, mead, and flatulence all mix together." Odin said with a shake of his head. "Oh well, it makes for a good story regardless. Though you are still banned from almost every drinking hall in Asgard as a result."

"I expected as much." Plagg said with a sigh. "Though given the fact that I don't make it up that way much anymore and have no reason to be there either, it is probably for the best."

"That's the spirit." Odin said as he tried to give Plagg a pat on the head that Plagg flew back from to avoid being bounced off the floor like a basketball. "You are too destructive for your own good."

"I know, it is why I do not allow Plagg to drink whenever he visits the underworld." Hades said with a laugh joining in the conversation. "Not after he tried to see if he could cause a crack all the way down to Tartarus that is and took out a whole wall of my palace and my wife's favorite garden."

"Yeah not my best moment." Plagg admitted with a slightly sheepish look at Hades. "But that pomegranate liquor your wife made was some strong shit, almost as good as Vina's stuff, though Persephone's temper was a lot worse and I am certain that I am still on her bad side."

"You are, but then again I live there most of the time." Hades confirmed. "You get used to it."

"I will just keep avoiding her thank you very much." Plagg said as seriously as he could muster. "Besides, I do find the old doom and gloom of your realm a little dreary for my tastes."

"I keep telling Hades, Plagg, he really needs to liven up his domain, the Hotel Valhalla is perfect but for some reason old death breath here doesn't want to change his territory for any reason." Odin said shaking his head as he put an arm around Hades' shoulders surprising the other god. "Hades, seriously, I know a few good architects and designers who would love to help you out. Come Hades, let us talk about how to spruce up your underworld and your mortals' afterlife while we enjoy some of the finest Guardian Grade mead that Vina can make and discuss a possible cross training exercise between your honored dead and mine."

"Odin I think that…" Hades began but didn't get a chance to finish as Odin had already begun to lead him away and towards the refreshments table, in particular a section filled with mead and meat, while several guard skeletons looked on intently from their alcoves.

"I must admit, there aren't that many people who can get that chummy with your dad and survive the encounter." Plagg said he watched Odin and Hades talk over a horn of mead and a leg of what looked like deer that Odin insisted Hades join him in.

"Odin is as powerful as Hades, if not more so." Fracture said as he turned away from the scene before Odin started going to town on deer leg, a sight Plagg did not want to see either. "If the pair of them fought it would be a stalemate that caused massive destruction to anything around them."

"What about you?" Plagg asked curiously. "Can you take them on?"

"Depends on where I am." Fracture said with a shrug. "Though regardless, I doubt I could defeat dad as he knows my powers too well and can counter them long enough to use his own immense power on me. Odin I could probably beat in a location that I was strong in like this one but otherwise I would probably lose against him as well. I don't have magic and can't protect well against it and Odin is a master of magic. Now if it was just weapons and no powers, I could easily beat dad and give Odin a good run for his money though as a fellow spear fighter, we would be evenly matched on that front."

"Ah I see." Plagg said with a nod and smirk that Fracture did not notice, if he had his way he could get the pair to duel tonight once Fracture and Odin had had way too much mead and liquor, that would be the entertainment of evening. "Now, who is the last guest? You said that there would be 5 of us tonight but only four have shown up so far."

"He should be here…" Fracture began as he pulled out a pocket watch that had been carved out of a skull and looked at it. "Right about...now."

As if on queue the bone gate door that Plagg had been let in through, and that had somehow been fixed since Odin had broken it, was blown clean off its hinges by a powerful unseen force, again. This time though, it was blasted right at them. Plagg barely had enough time to phase through the bones that had been sent towards him before it reached his little body. Plagg breathed a sigh of relief as he got through it and glanced over his shoulder to see that Fracture had disintegrated it with a casual flick of his wrist and a little grin on his face at Plagg.

Of course, Plagg had forgotten that whoever the last guest was, he would have had to have been greeted by a skeleton guard. It was the skull of said guard, dressed in an American military outfit from the Mexican American war of all things, that Plagg saw too late to avoid. The skull hit him full force and sent the kwami spinning backwards until he came to a jarring stop and felt a fine layer of dust cover his body. Tonight was not Plagg's night for avoiding skulls it seemed.

Plagg spat out what he knew to be disintegrated bones, a taste no one could ever get used too, and realized that he was in the Fracture's outstretched hand. The Guardian of Bones had caught him like a baseball and Plagg had to hover painfully away and shake himself clean, spitting obscenities and bone dust at his treatment.

"Yeah, as with all of us, my last guest likes to make a little bit of an entrance." Fracture said with a smirk. "But then again, it is kinda our thing, even if he can't make as spectacular an entrance as I can without causing massive destruction to everything around him."

"What thing." Plagg spat, literally hawking up a phlegmy gob of bone dust from his lungs and spitting it onto the floor, he was going to need something strong to get rid of the taste of bone in his mouth before he ate any of the fine cheeses that Fracture had provided for him. "Only Guardians like…"

"What's up bitches!" An American accented voice with a clear southwestern twang to it called out from the now dust covered entrance. "Quasar is in the house! Lets get this party started!"

Plagg smiled as the last guest walked out of the dust, the dust actually sticking to him more than it should before it was suddenly, and violently, expelled away from him. As he strode across the chamber, the ground bent at his footsteps that belied the man's apparent weight. The last guest was one of the Guardians, and not just any but one of the ones that Plagg got on best with given the man's debaucherous nature and habit of getting into hilarious situations, more often than not with Plagg. The Guardian of Gravity had arrived.

Elevated to Guardianship around the time of Fracture, Quasar was one of a collection of Guardians, along with Fracture and the Guardians of Gas, Technology, and the second Guardian of Ghosts, who Plagg had hung out with a lot over the years. Plagg knew little about the man's history other than that his parentage was a controversial one, even by the usual controversial Guardian parentage standards. Quasar's mother, and it had been proven that the goddess in question was in deed his mother, is Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt.

It had been a controversy to say the least when it had been revealed that Artemis had birthed a son and that she had conceived him through conventional, thus making her not a virgin and adding to her hypocrisy. In an attempt to hide it, according to Quasar when Plagg had drunkenly asked him one night while they partied in Corinth, Artemis had given him to the Guardians at birth to hide his heritage in the one place that would protect him and keep her secret for as long as possible. Quasar's father was unknown but Plagg had a few theories as to who given the rumors he had heard about Artemis' alleged love life and the fact that Quasar was born as an illegitimate immortal, but Plagg was too terrified of the sexist goddess to ever voice his theories aloud.

Quasar had flourished under the guidance of the Guardians and their teachings as a member of their near immortal followers, known these days as the sub-Guardians which ironically had the same immortality guarantees as the hunters of Artemis, a thing she had stolen from them. Quasar had risen through the ranks alongside Fracture, who had been given to the Guardians by Hades a few years earlier, until both were named Guardians, along with the illegitimate immortal who would become the Guardian of Technology. All three were elevated to Guardianship within a decade of each other during one of the rare Guardian expansion eras.

Plagg still wasn't 100% why Quasar had been assigned Gravity as his element by the Master Guardian, though given that his mother was the Greek Goddess of the Moon, the man no doubt had some natural ability regarding gravity. Despite Quasar's tense relationship with his mother due to her years of not acknowledging him until she was forced to do so, he honored her in his choice of color when he was elevated to Guardianship.

As with all Guardians, Quasar wore the standard modern uniform of a simple, single colored, t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black boots. Quasar's shirt however, was a little different to the other Guardians that Plagg knew. Where most Guardians tended to favor a muted color, like Fracture's brownish gray choice, Quasar wore a shirt of pure silver that seemed to be comprised of pure moonlight.

It was a mesmerizing shirt that Plagg often stared at as the shirt seemed to ripple on its own on the man's lean, pale, frame and contrasted with Quasar's straight, shoulder length strawberry blond hair and neat chin strap beard that he had been sporting for a few decades now. It wasn't unique among Guardian's as other Guardians favored flashy or odd displays of their chosen color, such as the blinding white of the Guardian of Light's shirt, but it was one of the most graceful of the designs. It was very in keeping with his mother's own style, which was something that could not be said for Quasar's choice in weaponry.

Quasar apparently liked to buck all of the Guardian trends because, as with his shirt being flashier than most, he also had 3 weapons on his person and not the customary 2 that most Guardians carried. As with all of his fellow Guardians, Quasar had a straight, double edged and razor sharp knife that was specially crafted for a new Guardian, though his was in a calf rig on his left leg rather than his hip and sported what looked like a handle made from moonstone. Plagg knew that the stone to be from whatever it was that Artemis used as the moon.

As for his standard weapon, of which all Guardians wielded at least one, Quasar had 2; a Winchester lever action rifle strapped to his back and a volcanic repeating pistol in a thigh rig on his right thigh that Plagg knew the Guardian could draw, fire, and holster in under a second. Both fired special bullets made by the Guardian of Metal that could affect any being they touched, god, monster and mortal alike. The only other Guardian with a similar weapon arrangement was the Guardian of Fire though he favored the most modern guns over the wild west style that Quasar had.

As Quasar continued to saunter over, Plagg's eyes fell on the distinctive tattoo that all Guardians had on their right forearms. As with the other Guardian's that Plagg knew, the tattoo was unique to the Guardian and his or hers element. In Quasar's case it was written in cursive and looked like bright silvery stars all swirling around a central point as it spelled out QUASAR 22.

"Plagg, my old friend, how's it going." Quasar said as he reached Plagg and gave the little kwami a fist bump. "Good to see you as always."

"Quasar you old dog, good to see you too." Plagg said as he flew back to a safe distance away from the Guardian.

One of the side effects of Quasar's power was that he had a habit of pulling objects and people towards him as gravity was always a little hinky around the Guardian. Quasar was one of several Guardians whose powers manifested without their conscious effort so Plagg kept a safe distance from Quasar whenever possible. Still it wasn't as bad as the Guardian of Acid who literally couldn't touch anyone without causing them pain.

"Now that you are here, we can get this party started." Plagg continued once he was far enough away from Quasar that his flying wouldn't be effected by the Guardian's gravity field.

"Aren't you going to formally great me." Quasar teased with a smirk at Plagg.

"Don't have too." Plagg retorted with a smirk of his own. "We are in another Guardian's place of power and I have already formally greeted him, you are just a guest with all the rights that that entails. I have paid my respects to the correct Guardian, in this situation I do not have to do the same with you. You try this shit every time and you have yet to get me."

"Yes, well just because you are a flier and therefore cannot come to my own palace due to the gravity wells that I have there, doesn't mean I am less deserving of respect." Quasar said with a laugh. "You do defy my element on a constant basis so I should get some respect for allowing that. But I will get you one of these days, we do meet once a month or so depending on when I can send some of my consciousness to Paris, sooner or later you will slip up."

"I'm sure I will." Plagg said with a shake of his head. "And Mage allows me to fly, not you. Though I don't doubt that you could prevent me from flying if you wanted to."

"You know I can." Quasar said with an intent look at Plagg and Plagg briefly felt himself lose altitude. It was a brief display but a powerful one nonetheless and Plagg always knew never to test a Guardian's power when he was within that Guardian's domain.

"Give him enough booze and deprive him of cheese for a night and he will pay his respects, don't worry." Fracture said breaking up the conversation as he embraced his fellow Guardian though like Plagg backed away quickly. "Glad you could make it, with two very powerful gods present I felt the need for another Guardian just in case I needed some backup. You know how Odin is with his mead."

"Oh, don't I, there's I reason I am banned from Asgard unless invited by Odin personally." Quasar said with smirk. "But then again, it isn't wise to crush a God's throne room into a small ball and pitch it off the Bifrost for fun and because Odin was annoying me, though my drive form was on that day. I assume that he had some motivational speech gig in Paris, that's what Odin has been into recently."

"Yup and dad was in town for an upcoming celebration of death so he popped around for some drinks and to rob us blind." Fracture said with a laugh. "If we let him that is."

"Yeah Uncle Hades does like to cheat at cards but we let him so long as he doesn't ask for too much from us." Quasar said with a shake of his head. "Well, what are we waiting for, let's get this game started already."

"Quasar, so you are the last deity my son invited." Hades said with a smirk as he and Odin returned from their long discussion, one that Plagg had a feeling had not ended the way the Aesir God had wanted and that Hades had used Quasar's arrival as an excuse to end. "Always good to see my nephew within the upper levels of the underworld. What brings you to Paris?"

"Fracture invited me so I came." Quasar said with a shrug. "I try to make it to one of these events every month or so, hence why I am here. It is as simple as that."

"Doesn't the Master Guardian have you lot of on various assignments and missions?" Hades asked causing Plagg to snap his attention towards the God of the Underworld. If the Master Guardian has his Guardians on active missions after over two millennia of just protecting the elements then something big had to be on its way for the mythical world.

"Assignments?" Plagg asked. "This is the first I am hearing of Guardian assignments."

"That's because you have to deal with Hawk Moth first." Fracture said as he took a seat at the table indicating to the rest of them to take their seats for the game that was about to start. "After that you can be brought in as all the kwamis might be of assistance if the problem is what the Master Guardian believes it to be.."

"Though the missions are more precautionary than anything else." Quasar added as he picked up the chips that were in his slot, they had all paid their entries upon accepting Fracture's invitation as per usual, and began to make them float around his hand. "We aren't sure that there is anything but there are rumblings given recent events across the four main pantheons and with our latest expansion, the Master wants to be sure that this is not related to our order while also giving the newest Guardians some experience with their elements. It should do a lot of good and hopefully prevent a lot of bad before it happens. We are the line between order and chaos and this is us trying to hold that line."

"I notice that you didn't answer Hades' question." Odin said as he drained the rest of his mead, slammed his drinking horn down and looked around expectantly as if daring the others to finish their drinks, which none did. "Are you on any of the Master Guardian's missions?"

Fracture snapped his fingers several skeletons in butler outfits appeared and began serving food and drinks. Plagg smiled at the service and how well the Guardian of Bones knew him as he accepted a tray of Camembert and a small glass of fine red wine from Vina's best French vineyard to rinse his mouth out and prep his taste buds for the gooey Camembert in front of him.

"True, I didn't." Quasar said with a smirk as he took a large swallow of some American beer that Plagg knew was considered to be a redneck, white trash, brand. "But that's cos there wasn't a need too. The Master has only tasked certain Guardians with assignments that fit what he needs them to do and in which their particular elements are either directly involved or useful to the situation at hand. I occasionally have to send a portion of my essence away to aid with one of the missions because of the power and significance of the moon there and my maternal link to it but that is it. I have more freedom than most, as does Fracture, hence why I am here."

"And we are glad for it." Fracture said as he began to deal the cards, black with a grinning skull on the back of them that Hades had produced along with the soul filled black felt and poker chips. "But now let's play some Texas Hold 'em."

The game was one that they often played because of its simplicity and use for a chill setting like this. Plagg loved it. It was a chance to chill with deities he got along with, learn about what was going on in the magical world outside of Paris as Plagg was limited in where he could go when activated. It was also a chance to drink and gamble without shame, not that he had any shame to begin with.

There was also an added bonus of playing poker with these particular deities, helping pay off his many debts. Plagg had mounting debts to all 4 deities at the table and by the end of the night he would either have lessened or deepened them with various decisions that were fueled by his refilling wine glass and the shots that Quasar kept insisting all 5 of them take after every 5th hand. Tonight was more chill than usual so it was a good night for Plagg as he was able to keep his cool and thus was able to lessen his debts with all four deities as they all proceeded to get wasted on the very good alcohol that Fracture had and stuffed themselves with his good food and exquisite cheese.

Yes, it was truly a good night, one that was about to get better. Fracture, Quasar and Odin all weren't known for their moderate consumption of alcohol so something fun was bound to happen as soon as they switch from low grade shit like mead and beer to the stronger stuff, which with this lot usually meant whiskey, bourbon and moonshine. It was guaranteed given Hades' sneaky habit of whispering suggestions into the others' ears that they all thought were a great idea but were in fact Hades persuading them to do something stupid, the God of the Underworld was known for his cunning and Hades had no shame in using it tonight.

"Come on then, old one-eye." Fracture taunted with a slight slur to his words after Hades had whispered something to him. "You, me and a mason jar each of pure moonshine from Vina's best still."

"Best still?" Plagg whispered to Quasar. The game was pretty much over, Hades had as expected cleared them out but Plagg had managed to win a few hands that lessened some of his debts to the Rich One, and now, thanks to said Rich one, the event had devolved into a drinking competition. "I didn't know she had different types of still."

"Oh yeah she has several hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains." Quasar said with a nod as he looked intently on as Fracture summoned over a skeleton that was carrying two mason jars of clear liquid that Plagg knew could strip paint and a mortal's taste buds in a heartbeat. "That area has a long history with moonshining, both illegal and now legal, and as it is her element she has plenty of good stills there that help the alcohol market in those backwoods places. This shit that Fracture has comes from some bumblefuck area of West Virginia, real backwoods, hillbilly, redneck area, but it is the best place for moonshine apparently."

"Aren't you a fan of that style of American life?" Plagg asked pointedly as Quasar took a long, impressive, swig from a bottle of Utahan whiskey.

"My place is out in the western desert, so that is my hillbilly trash community." Quasar pointed out. "Not the southern mountain folk, there is a difference between the two groups though the coastal folks wouldn't notice it at first. America is a really diverse place, it's one of the many reasons why I like it that we are based there. Anyway, I know you Plagg, what's the wager on this?"

"Count me in." Hades said sidling up to them with a goblet of fine wine, at least one of them was still classy apparently even if Hades was drinking it out of a goblet made from a hollowed out skull that was being held by a skeletal hand and forearm for a stem. "What are we betting on? I presume that it is the drinking game I just encouraged my son to engage Odin in but what are the stakes for this and what exactly is the wager in? Y'all know I am good for it."

"Who can drain the mason jar fastest." Quasar said pointing at the other two deities as Fracture opened both bottles with a flourish, handing one to red faced Odin. "Cos we both know that they are going to chug them, it is in their natures."

"Definitely Odin." Hades said with utter certainty. "Dude knows how to drink, that's basically all he does, drink, fight, and give motivational speeches to people who don't want to listen."

"My money's on Fracture." Quasar said with the same level of certainty. "Gotta support my fellow Guardian after all."

"What are we playing for?" Hades asked again as he and Quasar shook on the deal.

"Favors." Plagg decided as he floated between the two deities, though still outside of Quasar's gravity. If Plagg was going to get in on this then he may as well try to get some favors from a few powerful deities, including one of the Big 3 Greek Gods, because any favor could come in handy down the line. "And my money is on a tie so that we all have a stake in this. If this really is Vina's moonshine, and I expect it is given that it is Fracture who produced it and he has access to that quality of liquor, it is going to burn like Hades going down."

"I hate that false assumption that my domain is all fire, burning and pain." Hades muttered darkly. "Only the Fields of Punishment have fire as punishment and only for extreme cases that my judges decide to invoke fire, like King Ixion's wheel. Though I might see if Vina would provide me with some of this as a punishment tool, it could be useful one day."

"Well whatever the case, that moonshine is going to hurt." Plagg said with a smirk at the two deities about to do something immensely stupid.

"No doubt, that is special shit that Vina made personally." Quasar said with a nod of agreement. "It would literally kill a mortal and I'm not sure how because I don't want to know. Alright Uncle, Plagg, favors it is."

"Given the fact that Plagg already owes both of us a lot of money and a few favors already, why not we play for favors and Plagg plays to wipe out some of his debts." Hades said with a sideways look at Plagg that caused Plagg to gulp. "What do you say Plagg? How about trying to wipe out that debt from that time you me and that annoying talking raccoon Azeban played a dice game during the revolution."

"Wiping out part of my debt works for me." Plagg agreed with a nod. "That is a good debt to be rid of. Adding favors to my bill also works but I will take what I can get. I want a double or nothing clause though."

"On what?" Quasar asked. "This wager works for me, I have always wondered if I could harness your destruction in some gravity-based way, a favor might help with that. If Plagg wins, I'll forget about the debt he owes me from that gladiator contest we got drunk at with Emperor Claudius, been while and I am feeling generous tonight."

"And I could use a gravity vortex in my Fields of Punishment." Hades added slapping Quasar on the back and smirking at him. "I don't have one and it could be real useful for some of the more sinister souls that get sent my way. Plus the judges have been asking for one for a while and this seems like the perfect opportunity to get one."

"You could just pay me for one." Quasar pointed out. "I do offer some services for sale and you of all people could afford it, Mr. God of Wealth."

"While I don't think that is ethical to sell our services to one another, we are deities with pretty much no ethics." Hades said with a thoughtful look before he shrugged. "But I could just get my daughter and one of the Guardians to pay for it but that would make me a bad father and her diamond edged blades are lethal. Besides, winning it is better than paying for it any day of the week and I have a lot of other expenses to deal with."

"If you two are done, my double or nothing clause is that these two fight each other in a spear duel after the chug off I don't owe the winner a favor but my debts stand." Plagg said interrupting the conversation. "And I would say we swear this by the River Styx as the drinking game is about to commence, neither Fracture nor Odin are known for their patience."

"I swear by the River Styx to honor this wager." Both Quasar and Hades said so Plagg added his own oath just as the other two deities clinked their mason jars and began to chug the harsh liquor as a thunder clap happened in response to their oath.

The results were as spectacular as Plagg had hoped they would be. There was no deity save for Vina and maybe, maybe, the Master Guardian who could drink something like Vina's special reserve moonshine, or whatever she called it as Plagg had never seen this type of moonshine before, without gagging. That is exactly what both deities did, chugged and gagged as they got the moonshine down as fast as they could manage.

In classic male deity fashion, neither wanted to be outdone by the other so neither stopped drinking until they had drained their jars dry, despite the gagging at the potent grain alcohol. It was clearly a struggle as the fiery liquid burned its way down their throats, much to Plagg's amusement, but Odin managed to finish his jar just before Fracture.

The Aesir god smashed the jar on the floor in triumph and then proceeded to cough like an old man and hack up a gob of ichor onto the floor. Apparently, while his throat may be able to swallow it, it wasn't without consequence as it had burned enough to cause wounds on its way down.

Fracture finished a second latter with a scowl before he too hacked up a gob of ichor onto the floor, though he didn't cough from the liquid. Wiping his mouth and fixing Odin with an unfocused stare, Fracture waved his hand and disintegrated the poker and refreshments tables. Though the waiters and their trays of food continued to wonder aimlessly around the chamber. Plagg smirked, it looked like his double or nothing would come true.

"Pay up." Hades whispered to both Plagg and Quasar. "I expect a portion of your conscience down in the underworld by noon tomorrow, Pacific Coast Time, Quasar to begin coordinating some sort of gravity-based punishment for the souls doomed to an eternity of punishment. I will tell Scalia to await you, he is the newest judge of the dead and as such currently on duty, I expect to pair him with Ginsburg in time, both were or are respected judges of mortals and deserving of this honor and to have a full Supreme Court panel for my American mortals, Marshall has been bugging about this for almost 200 years already."

"Fine." Quasar muttered darkly. "It will be done, I will speak with Antonin tomorrow when I come down and see where he wants it, though I expect Minos to be more helpful given his proven cruelty."

"Wait boys." Plagg said as Fracture reached behind his back and pulled out his spear, extending it with a thought into the long, double ended weapon that the Guardian of Bones wielded. "Looks like my double or nothing is about to save my ass from owing old Death Breath here yet another favor."

"Damn, you might be right but there will be another time Plagg, there always is." Hades muttered darkly as Fracture smirked at a now stunned Odin as the Guardian cracked his neck louder than would be normal for a mortal but Plagg knew that the Guardian only did it for effect. With this, Fracture let very spiky, bone armor and helmet cover his body as he staggered only slightly on his feet.

"My boy did inherit my habit of holding grudges, it is a bad trait that I often pass on." Hades continued. "But it has served my offspring well so who am I to judge."

"You judge the dead." Quasar unhelpfully pointed out.

"My judges do that." Hades retorted.

"You may have bested me in drinking the moonshine." Fracture slurred interrupting the conversation and cause them all to focus on him. Clearly the liquor had hit him harder than Plagg had expected but even drunk, the Bone Guardian was fierce fighter that few could reckon with, especially in one of his places of power. "But can you best me in a duel of spears old man. Go ahead, bring out Gungnir and your magical armor and let us see who is better with our spears."

"You are on boy." Odin slurred back as he allowed his own armor and spear to appear out of nowhere, though Plagg knew that the god had hidden it out of respect for his host. "Bring it bitch, let's see who's best with a spear but if your skills with that stick of yours is as good as your drinking then it will be a long time before you reform, of that I guarantee."

"Gotta admit." Quasar said as he took a bite out of a hamburger, complete with all the best additions of lettuce, tomato, bacon, and cheese, that he had grabbed from a passing skeleton butler's tray, the skeleton oblivious to the impending duel between the two powerful deities. "It's never a dull event at Fracture's. He really does know how to do something incredibly stupid, its great."

"That's why I love coming here." Plagg said with a feral grin as the two powerful deities began to circle one another in preparation for the impending duel. "You never know what to expect when Fracture is involved. Just about anything could happen, I have seen a lot and I am still surprised by what could happen at these events."

"Like me sneaking up on you and gate crashing your boys night party down here." A cold, cruel, feminine voice said from behind Plagg and the two powerful deities just as Fracture and Odin charged at each other and all Hades broke loose, literally.

Plagg shot upwards again, though this time he knew where the ceiling was and could stop himself before hitting another skull, barely, though the sound of a gunshot almost as soon as he jumped almost did cause Plagg to hit the ceiling. The added height allowed the kwami to see what was going on beneath him.

Hades had instantly jumped backwards and disappeared under his helm of darkness to avoid any problems. Plagg doubted that Hades was going to stay around after a surprise like that, the cunning old god had a habit of slipping away at precisely the right moments.

Hades' reaction was muted and nothing compared to Quasar's one. It appeared that the Guardian of Gravity had fully embraced his American wild west persona, more so than most deities did when the flame moved to a new country and apparently Quasar hadn't tried to modernize too much.

It clear that whoever had startled them had caused Quasar to react without thinking. He had dropped his hamburger and the bottle of whiskey that he had been drinking, turned as fast as a Guardian that couldn't disappear easily could, drawn his volcanic repeating pistol, cocked it and fired a shot of the specialty ammunition he had. All this in a less than a second while Plagg was still flying upwards.

Plagg floated down to the inspect the scene, ignoring the sounds of the duel behind him as Odin and Fracture dueled, both completely oblivious to the new development as they focused on their own fight. Quasar stood there, his pistol still smoking in his hand and a look of irritation on his face as he stared at a figure that was on its ass on the floor.

Plagg knew that it was a woman from the long, dark hair that flowed across her face as she painfully clutched her left shoulder. Gold ichor flowed from the wound that Quasar had inflicted and was staining her simple Greek robes. Judging by the neat little hole in the center of one of skeletal guard's forehead it had been a through and through wound, the guard being completely unaffected by the hole in its head, though it was staring hard at Quasar. With a growl the woman looked up and snarled at Plagg and Quasar, a look of pure rage and vengeance on her beautiful face.

Vengeance was more accurate than Plagg had initially thought when he instantly recognized the snarling minor goddess who had decided to crash their party so spectacularly and it was possibly the last goddess that Plagg wanted to see right now. That being said, her appearance had the effect of sobering the kwami up in an instant. Plagg had no idea why she was here but he knew at once that it wasn't good. Whenever Nemesis showed up, Plagg knew that he was fucked. The Goddess of Revenge was a real piece of work and she often hated Plagg, hence why he always tried to make sure that she didn't know when he was active in the world.

"Fucking Hades, Quasar." Nemesis spat with a wince of pain. "That hurt worst than a dip in the Phlegethon, what in Hades did Forge make those damned bullets out of. Is that how you treat all visitors? Shoot them. This isn't even your place gravity bow."

"And you didn't call for quest rights upon arrival, just decided to surprise up." Quasar said coolly with a shrug as he spun his pistol and then holstered it in a single, smooth, move. "What was I supposed to do? Where I currently life, you shoot trespassers first and ask questions later, if ever. Now how about you tell us why you are here and not at that minor god after party Janus is hosting tonight, the one he also throws after that minor god conference y'all attend. You distracted a good fight I was watching and about to bet on so your excuse had better be good, I ain't in a forgiving mood Nemesis."

"Fuck you, you piece of Guardian trash." Nemesis spat as she tried and failed to staunch her wound, whatever the bullets were made of, they were damn effective against gods, though Plagg had a suspicion that if they were made by the Guardian of Metal they would be unparalleled in effectiveness. "You aren't even a real god, just the bastard offspring of the most hypocritical Olympian and that is saying something given the hypocrisy up on Olympus. I came here to inform Plagg of what to expect in the coming weeks now that I know that he is active once more, not deal with the hidden garbage of the mythical world that is the Guardians of the Elements."

"Now insulting us Guardians is never a wise move." Quasar said shaking his head at Nemesis as he casually rested his hand on the butt of his pistol. "We tend to take it personally and frankly we are a lot more powerful that the likes of you, Nemesis. We are only limited by our oaths that we made to join the Guardians and the nature of our elements, which given that mine is gravity is pretty limitless. Now tell Plagg why you are here for him and then I suggest leaving before you force me to do even more damage to you, damage that might take a few decades to reform from which will put a damper on your plans for Plagg now wouldn't it."

"Throw yourself into Tartarus asshole." Nemesis snarled as she tried to get up. Apparently that was the wrong move as Quasar, not known for his long fuse, decided that he wasn't going to let Nemesis try anything and keep her on the ground for as long as possible, which given his element was a very long time.

Plagg heard a sickening crack as Nemesis' left leg broke and her whole body was pulled hard to the ground in gravity well, the force likely not doing her injuries any good at all. Quasar had caused a very small area near the minor goddess's leg to rapidly increase in gravity, breaking it due to the direction of the increased gravity, and then dragging her back down to the ground where she tried and failed to get up. Given the durability of the gods, Plagg knew that it must have taken a lot of power to pull off a move like that but after knowing the Guardians for millennia, Plagg was not surprised at their abilities anymore.

"Now are you going to tell Plagg why you are here for him?" Quasar asked simply. "Or are you going to keep complaining to the point that you won't be able to reform for a long time. Given Plagg's reputation, it is no doubt some debt you are calling in or some revenge oath you are honoring, but most of us know that Plagg will seldom pay his debts unless he violates his oaths. So I ask again, why are you here Nemesis?"

"I am the Goddess of Revenge you fucking idiot." Nemesis snapped through her pain, though given her purview Plagg had a feeling that pain only fueled the goddess. "And trust me, you are now on my list, I swear by the River Styx that I will get my revenge on you Quasar. It will be when you least expect it and as brutal as I can make it bitch."

"I look forward to it." Quasar said with a smile as he rested his hand on the butt of his pistol again while a thunder clap sounded at the sacred oath. "But till then, why are you here? I really don't like repeating myself Nemesis so please answer as I am sure Fracture is not thrilled to have his maternal half-sister appear unannounced, especially given how much you took after your mother."

"Plagg is on my revenge list you moron." Nemesis snarled as she turned her gaze to Plagg, so too did Quasar. "Isn't that right Plagg?"

"I am on so many lists, usually the dinner lists for all monsters that me and my humans have defeated over the years, that I can barely keep track of them all." Plagg said with a shrug. "What did I do this time Nemesis? I always seem to end up on your bad side."

"Call it a curse of always being the hero." Nemesis said with a pained grin from her position on the floor. "Or at least the tool for a mortal hero as you kwamis tend to be used as, we know what happens when you try to use your powers without a human or do you forget the dinosaurs Plagg."

"That was an accident." Plagg said and it was the truth, he didn't know the full strength of his power so most of his destructive moments were accidents, hence why he seldom used his powers without his human unless it was an emergency. "And I am supposed to be a hero, it was what I was divined to do when Mage granted me and Tikki corporeal forms. I can't help my nature, those who try to do evil should remember that."

"Well one thing that heroes forget is that those who they defeat aren't happy with losing." Nemesis said with a smirk. "They tend to wish for retribution, for revenge and I am only too happy to oblige their wishes."

"Yeah I thought that was what it was." Plagg said with a sigh. It was always like this with Nemesis, hence why he always avoided her like the plague whenever he was active, there was always some revenge oath out against him and Tikki. "Who was it this time? I tend to lose track of all those who I am activated to defeat."

"King George III." Nemesis said with a laugh.

That was a shock, Plagg had not been expecting the tyrannical British King who ruled over the American colonies to swear revenge against him. The shock must have been on his face as Nemesis laughed and elaborated on the situation. She had a habit of enjoying her revenge rants.

"It cost George his sanity but he willingly paid it for revenge on those who took his American colonies away from him." Nemesis explained. "He loved those colonies; a great source of revenue that he could tax as much as he wanted and they couldn't do anything about it because he banned them from having representation in his government. When you and Tikki aided the terrorists and rebels like Washington free the colonies, he swore his revenge. I appeared to him that night and granted his wish, in exchange for his sanity of course."

"But why us?" Plagg asked. Revenge was the usual story for why Nemesis came to mess with him but this was a little much even by her loose standards. "We may have helped in the revolution and played a pivotal role in its success but there were a lot more people involved in winning it than just us."

"True but without your aid Paul may never have succeeded on his midnight ride." Nemesis pointed out. "Nor would Molly have been as effective as she was without Tikki to aid her. Your sabotage and destruction coupled with the aid and creation that only the Ladybug Miraculous Holder could provide tipped the scales of that conflict and won it for the Americans. That was why I chose you and Tikki to be my targets but before I could enact the King's revenge and balance the scales, you had been recalled and disappeared into your precious Miraculous Jewelry Box and I cannot track that magical box."

"And because I don't like you and your constant attacks on me for various revenge oaths, I didn't tell you when I was activated to deal with Hawk Moth." Plagg said realizing that this was why Nemesis was here, she had a deal to honor and he was the victim in that deal.

"Precisely." Nemesis snarled with anger in her voice. "The King died a madman and you got off until now. Now that I have you, I will get the revenge he wanted and you will pay your debt. I always honor my oaths."

"Wait, how did you find Plagg?" Quasar asked reminding them that he was still there. "You don't get along with the Guardians so you would never have been invited to our events and Plagg seldom hangs out with just normal gods unless Apollo is in town and throwing down but that's pretty rare these days considering his current predicament."

"Morpheus told me about Plagg." Nemesis said with a sickly sweet smile at them. "Tonight, in fact, after he got drunk and ranted about Plagg beating him in a game of cards the other day and winning access to Morpheus' precious Dreamscape. After that, it wasn't hard to persuade Morpheus to give you up, he was pretty wasted and easy to manipulate given his anger. Once I knew where you were and what was going on I headed over and waited for the right moment to appear behind you. Fracture tends to let his guard down a bit when he drinks and given our familial relationship, his skeletons won't attack his sister without his orders. It is one of the perks of being related to a few Guardians thanks to my promiscuous mother because Fracture likes to leave it open for family. Course I wasn't expecting to get shot but this cowboy decided that to do so anyway."

"Your welcome." Quasar said with a cheeky grin at Nemesis. "It was my pleasure."

"Screw you." Nemesis snarled back at Quasar.

"Great." Plagg muttered ignoring the back and forth between Quasar and Nemesis and addressing Nemesis directly. "What is your plan then? I know better than to fight fate, or in this case revenge. Get it over with but remember that you cannot mess with me while I am active and bound to a human and location."

"Oh, I know I can't take you away or anything like that." Nemesis said as a sinister smile crossed her face and she raised herself up as much as she could against Quasar's gravity hold. "Unless you break a particular oath that is. So what I can do is make set it up so that you will be forced to reveal your human's identity to his partner and vice versa. That is something you cannot do based on said oath and we know what happens when you violate it. Then I will collect another debt from you because Styx owes me a favor and that will be your ass as she will reward me with the honor of punishing you for yet again breaking your oath on her. And of course, this will happen whenever I feel like it so have fun waiting and worrying as I plot the King's revenge against you, little kitty."

"Merde." Plagg swore, there was no way out of this.

Nemesis was bound by ancient rules just as he was and she had to complete her revenge, he may as well just accept it and await the inevitable. It was the waiting that worried Plagg the most, that was a whole other revenge and it would keep him on edge until Nemesis sprang her revenge on him.

"Precisely." Nemesis said with glee in her voice as she looked at Plagg's ashen face. "I have you now Plagg and I will make you reveal Adrien's secret to Marinette and hers to him in return so that you and Tikki will both be blamed for it. It may do the kids some good given their love interests from what I've heard of them tonight and it will win me a little goodwill with Aphrodite, which is always good. Love and revenge do work well together, they always have, so having her owe me is an added bonus. Your punishment for breaking the oath will be at my hands and I will have so much fun with you during your allotted punishment time with me. I hear that the Guardian of Time might even be persuaded to extend that time with me so that you work off all your debts to me, we are going to have so much fun together."

"Alright, that is enough." Quasar said as a stunned Plagg just gaped at Nemesis and how screwed he was as the sounds of clashing spears could still be heard from behind them indicating that Fracture and Odin were still going at it. "I cannot take your insufferable babble anymore. You have ruined a good night and consequences be damned, though I think Fracture will be fine with me for this even if the Master Guardian decides to punish me for this, but it will be totally worth it. Time to shut up Nemesis, I look forward to our future duel bitch, I really do."

"Just remember what I said Plagg." Nemesis taunted as Quasar got in front of the Goddess of Revenge and reached over his shoulder for his rifle. "I will get you, mark my words I wi..."

Nemesis didn't get any more words out as Quasar took that moment to smack Nemesis in the face with the butt of his rifle with such force, likely augmented by his power over gravity making the blow faster, that it broke her jaw and caused the goddess to crumple to the ground in an unconscious heap, well at least this manifestation of her that is. Regardless, she was still smiling as Quasar knocked her out. Nemesis had come here for one reason, to intimidate and warn Plagg, and she had succeeded in doing just that, regardless of what had happened to her for her violation of guest rights.

It wasn't until Quasar turned and smiled at Plagg, after wiping the ichor off his weapon on Nemesis' robe, that Plagg finally came back to the situation. While he was totally screwed, Plagg may as well enjoy the rest of the night. Nemesis may have crashed the party but it certainly hadn't been boring and even if Plagg was going to have to pay for it, it was still a great night overall.

That was when Plagg noticed that the sound of dueling had stopped but he had a feeling that neither party had won the fight. That was confirmed when he heard Fracture's incredulous voice from behind him and knew that Odin had just upped the ante in their duel by a lot. This was going to get really interesting really quickly.

"That was magic, not your spear." Fracture accused. "Alright old man, it is on now. No more just weapons. It's time for a full powers, no holds barred brawl. You are going down bitch. This is my domain!"

Plagg turned from the unconscious goddess to see that the duel had progressed on the other side of the room without interruption. The floor, walls, and the skeltal guards in the alcoves were scored from the spears, so was the combatants armor. However, as Plagg looked, he saw that part of Fracture's armor and skin had been disintegrated on his upper left arm leaving just the bone that was practically indestructible given his powers, though the magic had cauterized the wound so there was no ichor spilt from it. Clearly Odin had used some magic to get the upper hand in the duel as the tip of his spear was still smoking from the attack.

Odin, for his part, was still smirking at Fracture. The Norse god had clearly wanted to end the fight early and given up the evenly matched duel of weapons, for one of power. His mistake, and Plagg knew it before Odin did, was that they were in Fracture's place of power where not even a god of Odin's abilities could rival him. Odin had missed, likely due to his alcohol consumption, and he was going to pay for not ending the fight when he had the chance

"Bring it." Odin taunted as he spun Gungnir with a flourish and only a slight slur to his words. "You can't take me I am…"

Odin didn't get to finish his sentence before Fracture raised his arm and demonstrated only a fraction of the power the Guardian could bring to bear in his ossuary. Instantly, a spike of bone erupted out of the floor and impaled Odin in the gut, right beneath his armor, and retracted immediately. The tide of the fight had shifted irrevocable in Fracture's favor.

The Aesir god grunted and dropped his spear as he fell to his knees, clutching his wound. The wound wasn't fatal, there wasn't much that Fracture could do to end Odin, but it was disabling and that was the point. Instantly, a spike of bone shot out of the floor and pierced Odin's ankles together before bending in an unnatural fashion. A second later a large spinal column erupted out of the earth behind Odin, the tip connected to the bone shard that was now through Odin's ankles. Odin was lifted off his feet, dropping ichor on the floor from his slowly healing wounds, to dangle upside down in the chamber.

"Do not mess with me in my domain my friend, especially if you try to sacrifice honor for a quick victory." Fracture said with a smirk as he retracted his weapon and shed his armor, though his wound seemed to not heal, the spell must have been powerful to cause that, and patted Odin patronizingly on his bearded cheek. It seemed that their host had sobered up a lot during the duel though Plagg knew that would change soon enough. "Now be a good boy and hang there for the rest of the night, I need to check on my other guests."

Fracture turned away and begin to head over to Plagg and Quasar who were just staring at the stung-up god in shock. Plagg knew that Fracture was powerful but he had just handily beaten Odin, admittedly in his own domain and after Odin had opened up the duel to more than just spears, but still it was no small feat. It was at that moment that Hades decided to remove his helmet and reappear standing directly in front of a pissed off looking Odin, a cold smile on his face.

"Hades, my friend, get me down from here." Odin ordered the other afterlife god.

"Nah, I don't think so." Hades said as he cracked his knuckles and neck in expectation. "I have been waiting for a chance like this for a long, long time. I am so going to enjoy this Odin, I will never let you forget it. We have all night to play my friend, try to get comfortable."

Plagg shook his head and turned away, he did not want to know what Hades had in store for Odin. That was when he noticed Fracture had walked passed him and Quasar and was now looking down curiously at Nemesis. That was something else that Plagg now had to explain.

"Ok boys." Fracture said turning to Plagg and Quasar. "Why is the Goddess of Revenge and my half-sister unconscious on my floor. I may be drunk but I am pretty sure that for once this is not my fault given the bullet wound in her shoulder and my skeleton over there, plus the gravity cracks all around her."

"We can partially explain this." Quasar said with a shrug. "And partially not."

"The do your best." Fracture said as Hades produced a feather of all things and began tickling Odin behind them so as to start his fun Odin. "I've got the rest of the night to listen and drink to this story."

Quasar began to explain what had happened, raising his voice over whatever Hades was doing to Odin behind them once Odin began to laugh and beg Hades to stop, while Plagg filled in where he could. Honestly, Plagg's mind wasn't fully on the situation at hand but elsewhere thinking about Nemesis's promise and King George's revenge. He knew what to expect and that it would come when he least desired it, all Plagg could do was hope that Adrien and Marinette were ready for it when it happened.

The day that they learned the truth about the other, something that was inevitable but seldom welcome, was almost at hand and it was partially Plagg's fault. For once though, Plagg was certain that he wasn't fully to blame for what was about to come, that blame rested on the ghost of King George III and Morpheus' drunk shoulders.

It had certainly been a wild night as expected, only this time despite the fun and usually destruction or Fracture ending up vanishing only to wake up on another continent, Plagg had gotten more than he had bargained for and the consequences would change the heroes of Paris forever. It wasn't the first time that this had happened, and Plagg knew that it wouldn't be the last time either.

All Plagg could do now was wait for that moment to come and ride it out as only he could. In the end he knew that Adrien and Marinette would be better for it given their unknown love for one another. That comforting thought was with Plagg for the rest of the night as he and Quasar explained the events to an amused Fracture while they all drank a lot more, ate more food, and they all had fun at Odin's predicament.

It had been another great night and Plagg had almost forgotten Nemesis and her promise when he returned to Adrien's side as dawn was breaking. He could sleep during the day as it was a weekend, so long as there wasn't an akuma attack of course. Adrien deserved a break to enjoy the calm before the storm that was Nemesis. All that swirled in Plagg's alcohol muddled mind as he fell asleep, knowing full well that out there Nemesis was plotting to change his life forever, again.

The wheels were in motion and Plagg was in the passenger seat for the ride, all he could hope for was that it wasn't as bad as he expected, Adrien and Marinette didn't deserve to be punished for the actions of past holders, the sworn revenge of a long dead king and Nemesis' promise of said king's revenge. Plagg just had to hope that it wouldn't be like last time Nemesis had messed with him and nothing more than that. However, all the kwami could do at this point was wait in dread, which was exactly what Nemesis wanted.

As Plagg fell asleep, he didn't notice the shadow of revenge that fell over Paris. Nemesis was in town and she would ensure her deal with King George was finally completed, over 200 years late. It was only a matter of time before Adrien and Marinette learned the truth that changed their lives forever and it would all be because of Plagg. Revenge was always sweet.

* * *

Nemesis watched from the shadows of an alleyway as the high school that her targets went to ended classes for the day. As it was a Friday that meant it was the weekend, perfect time for her to hatch her revenge plan against Plagg, and hopefully Tikki as well. In a matter of hours, she would have finally gotten the revenge on the kwamis she had promised George III and he duties as the Goddess of Revenge would be fulfilled for this oath. Then she would have Plagg all to herself, an added bonus for her.

It had taken her 2 weeks to figure out the routines of the current Miraculous Holders, learn their interests, hobbies, extracurricular activities, and most importantly the mission that required them to have the miraculouses in the first place. The time had also allowed Nemesis to evaluate their skills. There had been 3 akuma attacks in that time and they had all shown her the range of skills that Ladybug and Cat Noir possessed.

Nemesis had to admit, the teens were good, very good in fact. She had seen several of Plagg and Tikki's humans in action over the millennia, she had often been called upon for vengeance upon the holders by those who they had defeated, and these two were some of the best that Nemesis had ever seen. Shame they weren't good enough to take down a goddess but they were just mere mortals with powers, she was an immortal goddess. Still, they would give her a good fight when the time came.

Her plan was already set, the akuma attacks had helped formulate the last part of her plan, now all she had to do was wait. She had sent some of her insignificant servants to the Agreste Mansion to take care of Gabriel and his assistant. That had been the strangest revelation to her over the last two weeks, Adrien's father was the villain that they sought and his assistant was in on it and occasionally helped him with the akumas.

While Nemesis knew that she couldn't say a thing to Plagg about it, old laws of secrecy that had magical protections against them that not even Hecate could circumvent thanks to her son, the revelation had slightly complicated things for Nemesis. Not fully though. Nemesis just needed to drug them into unconsciousness and then have Hecate plant a fake memory of what transpired in their minds, same with Nooroo as the kwami would be bound to tell Gabriel the truth, a simple illusion spell for someone of Hecate's power. Also, Hecate owed her a favor and Nemesis had called it in to complete this mission.

With a wince of pain, the wound from Quasar's bullet wound, a wound still hadn't fully healed but being shot by a bullet made out of Guardian Titanium had a habit of taking a while to fully heal, Nemesis left her position and headed to check in on the Agreste household. Adrien would have fencing right now so she had time to make sure that everything was in place and then, when the time was right, she would strike. Afterwards she would deal with her personal revenge on the Guardian of Gravity for his insolence in defeating her down in Fracture's ossuary a fortnight ago.

Nemesis manipulated the mist around her so that the blind mortals didn't see the truth as she walked, he leg and jaw having already healed fully from Quasar's attack. Soon she would be ready to attack Paris, a city that many had sworn revenge on in the past, and spring the trap that would force Plagg to reveal his human's secret and thus force the same from Tikki.

Then, with the most sacred covenant of the Miraculous Holders that their kwamis held dear broken, Nemesis would have the revenge she had promised George III and indirectly his heirs. The time for revenge was at hand and Nemesis was going to strike while her hand was hot. Sometime, revenge was not a dish best served cold.

* * *

Plagg nervously waited in the locker for Adrien's fencing class to end so that they could go home for the day and hopefully be safe for another day. Ever since that night two weeks ago, Plagg had been living on edge in a state of near constant paranoia that no amount of cheese could alleviate. He knew that Nemesis' revenge was coming but he didn't know when or where and that was the worst part of it. Waiting really was the worst part of it all.

All Plagg could hope for was to get ahead of it and try to explain to the parties involved that he had no choice when the moment finally happened, hopefully that would mitigate the situation. What Plagg didn't know was that this was all part of Nemesis' plan all along but he never did have the ability to fully understand the complex web of Nemesis' revenge schemes, though few ever did. He was playing right into her hands and she knew it. That was the beauty of the plan that was about to start, Plagg would do almost all of her work for her.

* * *

Nemesis had everything in place. Marinette's crush on Adrien helped a lot and was something that Nemesis was going to fully use to her advantage. With a thought, albeit a painful one given her injured shoulder, Nemesis split her conscience one more time and sent the weaker manifestation to hide in the locker room at the high school where Marinette was currently hiding waiting to catch Adrien after fencing, the rest of her walked to the Eiffel Tower. It was almost go time.

She had to fake the akuma attack she had planned, that was why she had needed to implant the false memories into the unconscious Gabriel and his assistant so that they believed that they had done it all along. It would also mean that she would have to manipulate the mist to both show her defeat and the healing touch of Tikki's powers, as well as to show the destruction that an akuma normally wrought on Paris. Nemesis would like to actually cause damage but she couldn't, not if she wanted to maintain the appearance that she was an akuma.

However, the need for illusions was what Hecate was for. The Goddess of Magic had agreed to help because she owed Nemesis a favor but Nemesis had also had to promise her a few rounds with Plagg once Plagg broke his oath and faced his punishment to get the other goddess fully on her side. Nemesis was asking a lot of her fellow minor goddess, the least she could do was use Plagg and his debts to Hecate to sweeten the pot.

Nemesis would need Hecate's abilities to make this all believable to the blind mortals. There may be some repercussions for her actions from the Guardians but the Gods would be none the wiser, and even if they did know they probably won't care what two minor goddesses got up too in the ancient lands anyway.

Yes, Nemesis' plan was perfect. With a glance at a nearby clock and a mental prod from her other consciousness in the city, Nemesis knew that it was time. Revenge would be hers in a matter of moments.

With an evil cackle, Nemesis gave the signal to Hecate from her position beneath the Eiffel Tower. In a flash the tower began to groan and creak and people began running for their lives as the gray, magical mist began to swirl around Nemesis.

"Citizens of Paris, I am Nemesis, Hawk Moth's latest akuma." Nemesis called out. "I have been spurned by this city for far too long and now I will have my revenge upon this gods forsaken city. Come and get me Ladybug and Cat Noir, your miraculouses will soon be mine."

* * *

Marinette was hiding in the changing room waiting for Adrien to be done so that she could 'accidentally' run into him and try to walk home with him after his fencing lesson. Marinette had stayed for the art extracurricular thing so that she would have just such an excuse to justify why she was at school late and running into Adrien in the locker room.

Marinette also knew that Adrien would be staying late for some additional training with Mr.D'Argencourt given his recent struggles against Kagami and his own need to perfect his form. That meant that he would be alone in the locker room with her when she put her plan into action, which was both good and bad for Marinette. All she could really do though was hope that she didn't fall into a blubbering, clumsy, embarrassing mess around her love. A tall task but one she desperately hoped that she would pass this time.

A few minutes later she heard Adrien come into the changing room and begin taking off his fencing gear and putting it away in his bag. He was muttering to himself about something that Marinette couldn't quite hear but he sounded pleased with himself, that was good. Marinette was always more confident around Adrien when her crush was in a good mood because it always washed over her and put her in a relaxed mood around him.

As soon as she heard Adrien's locker close, Marinette put her plan into action, she had only been planning this encounter all week. Grabbing her own bag, Marinette hurried around the lockers and deliberately walked right into Adrien. The bump, and in Marinette's mind Adrien's strong body, caused her to fall onto her ass on the floor and drop her bag. In reality it was just Marinette using her clumsiness to her advantage but it had worked and that was the important thing.

"Oh, hey Marinette, sorry, I didn't see you there." Adrien said with a little embarrassment as he looked down at her before offering her his hand to help her up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm always ok when you are here." Marinette said before going bright red and correcting herself. "I mean yes I am fine, I am used to falling over so I know how to avoid injury and it doesn't hurt at all, don't worry."

Marinette reached up to take Adrien's hand and get up. That was when everything went to shit and their lives would be changed forever.

The side of the nearest locker was blown outwards as a thick, grayish, mist began to fill the changing room. A pair of strong, yet feminine, hands shot out from the swirling mist and grabbed Marinette under her arms, dragging her backwards and into the boys bathroom causing Marinette to scream in shock. Over it all she heard a voice in strangely accented French say triumphantly.

"Come and get your love, revenge is mine at last."

Then Marinette was in the bathroom and thrown painfully into the mirrors above the sinks, though somehow managing to not break them, before falling to the ground, bouncing hard off the sinks in the process. Marinette looked up to see a woman in a strange outfit that look like it came from antiquity of all places taunting Adrien and then leaping over him, kicking him to the floor so that he was sprawling on the filthy bathroom tiles in front of her. As soon as Adrien was in the bathroom, what Marinette presumed was an akuma locked them in the room together from the outside.

Something was up, given the woman's abilities she was an akuma with something against her but Marinette couldn't figure out what the hell it was, for once Marinette was sure that she hadn't been responsible for this akuma. Now, though, Marinette was trapped in a bathroom with Adrien and no way to help Paris. Bluntly, Marinette thought, she was fucked.

* * *

"Marinette!" Adrien yelled as Marinette was dragged away and into the boys bathroom by the oddly dressed and pale looking akuma.

The akuma looked normal save for the swirling gray mist and the strange robe she wore, well that and what looked like a bandage over her shoulder for some reason, and not like the other akumas who all had form fitting costumes and brightly colored skin. Still, she had grabbed Adrien's friend and he was going to help her before he dealt with the latest akuma to terrorize Paris.

With no place to transform, all Adrien could do was run after and try to engage the akuma long enough for Marinette to get away, or try and draw the akuma away from his friend. Then he could try and run and find a place to hide and transform himself. Then Adrien could deal with this akuma while he waited for his lady to come and join him.

That was the plan at least but as with any good plan of Adrien's, it tended to go straight to shit as soon as he tried to execute it. Adrien charged at the akuma that was now in the doorway grinning manically at him and beckoning him towards her with a hand as if taunting him into attacking, which he did. As Adrien ran, he felt Plagg inside his jacket trying to tug him away for some reason but he ignored his kwami, he had to help Marinette.

As soon as he reached the woman, she gracefully flipped over him, kicking him in the back in the process, and sending him sprawling face first onto the gross bathroom tiles. Adrien looked up to see Marinette on the floor under the sinks, looking hurt but not seriously injured which was good. At least she was safe.

That was when he heard the door behind him lock from the outside. Adrien was trapped in a bathroom with Marinette while an akuma ran rampant in Paris and he had no place to transform and his only realistic way out of the bathroom was using his Cataclysm. This was not good. Not good at all.

* * *

Plagg knew the minute that Nemesis had shown up in the locker room and taken Marinette into the boys bathroom that the gig was up. Somehow the revenge goddess had planned this, likely with the aid of another minor god or goddess, almost certainly Hecate given the need for the illusions of the Mist that Plagg had seen, and now it was time to come clean. Nemesis had won.

Plagg had tried, he really had. He had tried to pull Adrien away but noble Adrien proved his worthiness to be a Miraculous Holder yet again when he had gone after Marinette to make sure that she was alright and safe, well that and the fact that Plagg had no hope of actually pulling Adrien away from saving Marinette to begin with. It was noble but futile rescue attempt and Plagg knew it had caused more problems than it had solved.

If Adrien had listened to Plagg and fled, then both he and Marinette could have transformed, comeback, defeated Nemesis, and ended this allusion without any problems or secrets getting out. Of course, because Adrien didn't know the truth about Marinette, and as such she didn't know that Adrien loved her back, they were in this soon to be awkward situation.

With the door locked, and almost certainly locked in a way that a normal mortal couldn't unlock, as was clearly Nemesis' plan, and with the two Miraculous Holders in a room with no hiding places during an akuma attack, their secret had to come out now. Knowing what he had to do, Plagg sighed and flew out of Adrien's jacket and into the bathroom announcing his presence to Marinette and confirming who Cat Noir was in the process. The time for truth to come out was finally upon them.

"I can explain everything but right now you two need to transform and go take care of that Greek bitch that just locked us in here and ensured that this would happen." Plagg said to a stunned Adrien and Marinette, also confirming Marinette's identity as he spoke. "Right now, a literal Greek Goddess, the Goddess of Revenge no less, is somewhere in Paris seeking revenge against both me and Tikki, as she has done now, and probably the city in general given how many people have sworn revenge against the City of Love. We can talk all this over later but right now Paris needs its heroes. It needs Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"Plagg what in Hades do you think you doing." Tikki asked with horror in her voice as she flew out of Marinette's purse to answer him. "This is a violation of the oath we took to always protect our human's identity."

"I know but I don't have another choice." Plagg retorted with a sigh. "Nemesis planned this so that I would have to reveal my human's identity to yours and also so that you would have to reveal yours to mine. This way only I am punished by her for the broken oath so we get a small victory over Nemesis."

"Yes, but Plagg, look at the situation." Tikki said gesturing to the small bathroom they were locked in and their shocked humans who were now gawking at their kwamis, neither bothering to get up from the floor. "Nemesis clearly planned this so that the identities of our humans were revealed to the other. If you had just waited a little while longer, one of them would have transformed in order to fight the akuma, which we both know is actually Nemesis, and then the other would have out of nobility and duty to their partner. That way our humans reveal their identities to each other and we get off scot-free. This has happened before and we have been waited patiently. However, now that you have shown yourself before one of our humans decided to trust the other, you have broken your oath just as Nemesis apparently wanted."

"Merde." Plagg swore. "That bitch, she played me, she played me like a cheap fiddle. Gods damned, I fell for another revenge scheme of hers."

"What happened?" Tikki asked with a hint of concern in her voice, clearly she just wanted answers and they could deal with explaining everything to their humans later. "When did you see her last? We try to avoid her when we get reactivated given the number of people who have sworn revenge on us for being heroes and made a deal with Nemesis to ensure that they got their revenge. She does like to meet out revenge against heroes but it is her godly duty so I can't really fault her for that."

"Two weeks ago, down in Fracture's Ossuary." Plagg admitted which garnered an exacerbated stare from Tikki as she obviously knew why Plagg would be there. "What? It was a guys night that Fracture invited me to. Hades, Odin and Quasar all showed up as well so we had some drinks, played some poker, had a lot of glorious cheese, and then Fracture and Odin started a drinking competition followed by a spear duel. You know, the usual minus Fracture ending up in a different continent of course."

"So, a normal night for you at one of those events then." Tikki said shaking her head. "No wonder something bad happened, it always does when you get those high-powered deities together in a room filled with alcohol and godly testosterone."

"Precisely." Plagg said with a nod. "Then Nemesis decided to surprise us while we were about to bet on Fracture and Odin's duel, all cos Morpheus blabbed to her about us."

"Morpheus blabbed?" Tikki asked surprised. "Why would he do that?"

"He was drunk." Plagg said with a shrug. "Some minor god convention at Janus' place or something, I wasn't really paying attention to that part. Anyway, she decided to come and crash our party."

"What did she say?" Tikki asked, concern fully in her voice now.

"That King George III had sworn revenge on us for freeing the colonies of his tyranny." Plagg said, to which Tikki gave him a knowing look so he added. "Well not in those precise words but that was why she was there for me. Apparently, Nemesis took the king's sanity in exchange for getting revenge on us, which she said was going to be us revealing our humans to the other so that we violate our oaths. Then she rambled on for a while about how Styx owed her a favor so she was going to call it in so that she could be the one to administer my punishment for breaking my oath. By this point, Quasar, who had already wounded her twice, got fed up with Nemesis and knocked her out for the rest of the night."

"And you believed her?" Tikki asked incredulously, clearly she was not as concerned as Plagg was about this. "Plagg, she has gotten her revenge by manipulating you into doing almost all her work for her. She created this fake akuma attack after making you squirm for 2 weeks and then set up the scenario where you knew she was behind it and therefore preempted everything when it was clear that the secrets of our humans would be revealed to each other. All Nemesis needed was your paranoia at her threat of revenge, a passable akuma attack, and a little Mist magic that likely came from Hecate and she won. You fell right into her trap, again."

"Wait…what?" Plagg asked confused.

All Tikki did was give him a knowing look and Plagg decided to actually think on the situation and everything that had happened since Nemesis had shown up in Fracture's Ossuary two weeks ago. He had been living with paranoia for the last fortnight waiting for the inevitable only to play right into Nemesis' hands. She had used this guise before, at least three times in fact, and yet again Plagg had not been thinking clearly enough to see through it because he was too worried about the revenge and punishment to realize the situation. Now he was right where Nemesis had wanted him to be all along. As Plagg has said earlier, Nemesis had played like a cheap fiddle.

"Fuck." Plagg swore. "That damned bitch. I will get her back, after my punishment with her and probably Hecate as well, is over I will get that meddling goddess back. This is last time she messes with the Kwami of Destruction."

"Well don't let it spill into another blood feud." Tikki warned. "We don't want that again now do we?"

"That wasn't my fault." Plagg said raising his paws in surrender. "That local Albanian deity started it."

"Well thankfully it is over so please don't start a new one with Nemesis." Tikki said shaking her head. "Just deal with your punishment once this is false attack over, come back to Adrien in the morning and move on. We can deal with her again if we defeat Hawk Moth and he swears revenge on us and invokes her just like pretty much every foe we defeat seems to do."

"Fine." Plagg said before looking up and seeing that their humans were still on the floor staring in shock and confusion at their kwamis as they discussed the current situation. "Er guys, what are you waiting for? Transform so we can kick Nemesis' ass back to Athens or the underworld, whichever is farther away."

"Er, Plagg, we are both very, very confused." Adrien said to which Marinette nodded along in agreement. "Besides the fact that thanks to you, I now know who my lady is and she knows who I am, you two have just talked about mythical beings, some of whom I have never heard of, as if they were real."

"Oh, they are all real, or at least some of them still are." Plagg said with a smile that didn't seem to reassure Adrien at all while Marinette was too busy blushing at Adrien's pet name for her to be of any use. "Many have faded overtime as history has forgotten them or assigned their abilities to other gods as pantheons shrunk with the times. The ones you likely don't know, Fracture and Quasar, are two of the Guardians of the Elements, a pantheon of deities that fall outside of myth. In fact, to many they are at best myth, even in the mythical world, but there is a lot to explain and no time to do so now."

"Plagg, I think they will need time to process all of this." Tikki said as she closed Marinette's wide-open mouth that had fallen open after Plagg's latest confusing rant to them. "I can do that after we defeat Nemesis and you leave to face your punishment for breaking our most sacred oath yet again. Does that work guys? We meet up somewhere after beating Nemesis and go over everything from the fact that you two now know who the other is all the way to the truth about the various godly pantheons and the specifics of the Guardians and what exactly they are and how they are linked to us kwamis."

"Er, yeah, sure, that works for us." Marinette managed to say to which Adrien just nodded in agreement when Marinette glanced at him.

"Good then transform and let's get Nemesis." Plagg said with a glee. "We have a city to save and a goddess to hit with my Cataclysm."

"Will, will it be like usual?" Marinette asked tentatively. "We have never faced a goddess before, if that truly is what she is."

"Don't worry Marinette, this is all a hoax, an illusion created by another goddess as part of a revenge plot against Plagg." Tikki said sweetly but added after Plagg glared at her. "Well and me as well to a point as the revenge deal seemed to have been made with both of us in mind and not just Plagg as is usually the case. Just go there, use your powers, fight the goddess and Nemesis will play along with it all. In the end you will win and she will help restore everything to normal before leaving and waiting to collect Plagg for his punishment. Nemesis has what she wants, now just finish it out. All Paris will think happened was another akuma, knowing Nemesis' complex schemes I wouldn't be surprised if either her or Hecate even made Hawk Moth believe it as well. Only we will know the truth. Now go!"

"Ok." Marinette said before looking at Adrien. "You ready kitty."

"Lead the way bugaboo." Adrien said with a smile that Marinette blushed at.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said after she had gotten to her feet. In a second Ladybug stood there.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled once he too had risen to his feet.

Plagg felt the magic drag him into the ring and the transformation began. The last thought Plagg had before Adrien was transformed and they were bonded was that it was going to be so much fun to kick Nemesis' ass all over Paris.

* * *

"Cataclysm!" Adrien yelled almost as soon as he was transformed and used his power to disintegrate the bathroom door so that they could leave. He knew that he would likely have to drop his transformation and recharge Plagg before facing Nemesis but they could do that once they found out where she was.

"Come on kitty, time to save Paris again." Marinette said as she ran past him, Adrien falling in behind her as they left the locker room and headed into the city. Judging by the gray mist around the Eiffel Tower, that was were their quarry was. "Then we can deal with all this new information."

"Just another day in the life of the heroes of Paris." Adrien said as they ran towards the Eiffel Tower where he hoped Nemesis would be, he didn't want to hunt a goddess throughout all of Paris

It was true, while today had been odder than usual, it was still another normal day. Adrien knew that things had changed forever because of Plagg but they could deal with all of those revelations and what they meant later, for now they had a job to do and for the first time they would do it while knowing the other's identity.

Adrien didn't know what the future would hold with the new revelations but he had a feeling that it would new, different, but good. Whatever the future held, Adrien knew that he and Marinette would face it, together. First though, it was time to take care of a Greek Goddess that was posing as an akuma because of some revenge plot initiated by King George III against Plagg and Tikki. Yup, just another day in the lives of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

 **I never thought that I would write another Gargantuan Class oneshot after 'Trickster', or even a oneshot that would challenge the record set by 'Trickster' (though not break either Trickster's record for this series or my overall single chapter record) but here it is, another one and yet again Fracture is present for it. This needed to be so long due to the set up required for the oneshot, and to show a side of Plagg that I have alluded to but only ever hinted at once before in 'Vodka'. This is a bit of a prelude to a possible spinoff oneshot series (that won't be released until after the reveal on the show) that focuses on Plagg's history and habits that I have alluded to in Miraculous Revelations, but only if that idea gets traction. The next few oneshots shouldn't be anywhere near as long as this one, or take so long to release. That is all for this very long oneshot, as always keep the suggestions coming, I have almost enough for 100 oneshots (current projection is 98), and keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	52. Misdialed

**Here is the 52nd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I am back on schedule and given the fact that next week's special oneshot has to be released on a specific date I will remain on schedule through next week but that might waiver afterwards as I work on other simultaneous projects and my real life stuff. Anyway, this oneshot was suggested by the same loyal follower responsible for 27 published oneshots in this series and countless more in my long list of upcoming oneshots that thanks to your suggestions would double the oneshot count of this story if they were all published (54 in the list as of right now). Also with the show resuming episodes in English and at a rate of 2 episodes a week this month, my motivation to keep on schedule is returning as Season 3 hits its stride.** **That's all for this pre oneshot note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Miraculous.  
**

 **Post upload note: Following a guest review (the 200th review for this series!) that was left on May 26th shortly after the upload of 'Video' a point was raised regarding a detail in this chapter. The reviewer pointed out that most elite French schools, and other European countries, have Saturday school. As someone who went to high school in Europe I know this to be true as I suffered through Saturday morning class for years (it is the worst by the way). However, I also know that this is a common thing for boarding schools and not day schools and furthermore I cannot attest to schools in France regarding Saturday classes. There is as of yet no canonical information regarding the weekend operations of Francoise Dupont High School and as such, until the show says as much, I am assuming that they do not have morning class on Saturdays. As those who follow my work, I try to keep to the show's canon as much as possible up to the point of having to remove a oneshot from my list due to its content being deemed non-canonical the very week I was set to write it and another published oneshot being deemed anti-canon by the events of an episode released after I wrote that oneshot. Therefore, until the canon is set, I am going to go off the assumption that a day school in the heart of Paris, no matter how elite it is, will not have class on Saturday unless the show specifies that it does. This note is to set the record straight regarding a reviewer's fair point that I had never thought about and why I have assumed that the characters in this show have weekends off. Sorry for this long addition to the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Misdialed** **\- Marinette is tired and about to fall asleep, ready for a much needed sleep and day off from all her responsibilities. Of course that is when Alya decides to call her to sort out their plans for tomorrow. In her exhausted state Marinette accidentally ignores the call and decides to call Alya back. However, Alya's number is right below Adrien's in her contacts and she misdials and calls Adrien instead. When he answers, Marinette panics and falls out of bed causing Adrien to worry. He decides to see her as Cat Noir, after having to break out of his room first, to make sure that Marinette is ok. What could go wrong...or right?  
**

* * *

 **Misdialed**

With a yawn, Marinette finally collapsed onto her bed, ready to pass out for several hours. It had been a long day, made longer by the akuma attack that had the indecency to wait until after school to attack them so Marinette had to use her free time to take care of it and not class time. It hadn't been a hard fight, only served to make the day longer and as a result Marinette was exhausted and in desperate need of sleep.

Fortunately though, it was a Friday which meant that she had no school tomorrow. Marinette would have to be up earlier than most of her friends to help her parents in the bakery but that was normal for Marinette and she liked helping her parents in the bakery. What it did mean was that she didn't have to do homework tonight so she could turn in early and sleep for longer and boy did she need her sleep after the week Marinette had had.

It had been a long week for Marinette. Three akuma attacks plus nightly patrols on the free nights, designs for her next few fashion projects, and homework had meant that Marinette had barely slept all week. She needed her sleep and now was the time for that sleep. Tikki was already sleeping peacefully in the bed Marinette had made her and now it was Marinette's turn to enter the realm of dreams and once again dream of being with Adrien.

Naturally, sleep was not on her side again because as soon as Marinette was about to fall asleep, her phone began ringing loudly right next to her head. Grumbling and cursing that if there was a god or goddess of sleep, he or she really hated her for some unknown reason, Marinette picked up her phone and saw that it was Alya calling.

If Alya was calling her, that meant that it was likely a call about their weekend plans so Marinette decided to answer the phone and see what Alya wanted to do over the weekend. Marinette wanted to ignore it but Alya would just plan something on her own and Marinette would have to deal with it. Picking up her phone with a sigh, Marinette jabbed at it but with her sleep bleared eyes, she missed the answer button and hit the ignore button instead.

Grumbling more and deciding that it was best to call Alya back right away while the idea was fresh in her mind, and to avoid having to be stuck with what Alya wanted to do, Marinette unlocked her phone and went to her contacts list. In her sleepy state, Marinette missed Alya's contact info on her phone and hit the name right above Alya's in her contacts without realizing it. That name was Adrien Agreste.

Putting her phone to her ear, Marinette closed her eyes and sighed as the phone rang. She would deal with this and then sleep like the dead for at least 8 hours, hopefully longer. Shame that sometimes her best laid plans have many unintended consequences and they started for Marinette as soon as she heard the other person pick up and a very familiar, albeit tired, male voice said:

"Hey Marinette, what's up?"

Marinette's reaction was just as it always was whenever Adrien surprised her. As soon as Marinette heard Adrien's voice she realized that she had misdialed and called him instead of Alya. In addition, she had called Adrien in the middle of the night, a time she should not be calling him.

In classic Marinette fashion, her eyes shot open, she shrieked in shock and terror at what she had done and reactively leapt up in her bed, waking Tikki up in the process. That was when it went from bad to worse. Marinette's leap had not been directly upwards but to the side, the side that didn't have the wall. As a result, she proceeded to fall out of her lofted bed because of her reaction and land on the floor with a very painful, heavy, and loud thud that drove the breath from her lungs and left her gasping on the floor. The only reason why her fall didn't wake her parents was because they were both very deep sleepers.

"Marinette, Marinette, are you ok?" Came Adrien's voice from her phone that had fallen down with her and had been protected by its case, a precaution that was mandatory for someone as clumsy as Marinette after she had destroyed her 3rd phone in a year.

With another squeak Marinette lunged painfully at her phone and hung up the call as quickly as she could while Tikki flew down to see if she was ok. What had just happened had been the most mortifying thing to happen with her phone and Adrien since the voicemail incident, though that was a lot worse. Marinette was now wide awake because of worry and pain and all she could hope was that Adrien wouldn't call her back. She did not want to have to explain this at all, nothing good could come of that.

* * *

Adrien was exhausted when he got home from fencing and had finished his nightly piano practice. It had been a long, long day. Morning piano practice and studying, classes, an akuma attack right after school, a makeup fencing class because of the akuma attack, then homework and a final piano practice. Now all Adrien wanted to do was crash and sleep for as long as possible.

Adrien's weekend was going to be a boring one filled with more piano practice, Chinese lessons, and homework so he may as well sleep now. As much as Adrien wanted to go out and spend time with his friends, he couldn't. After a recent akuma attack on him that targeted the home, Adrien's father had heightened security and was now keeping a closer eye on Adrien than usual. It was going to be a cooped-up weekend, again.

That was why Adrien was happy to see the call from Marinette. She must want to talk about something to do with school and she was a good friend so Adrien was going to answer her call and see what she wanted. It would be nice to talk to one of his friends before his weekend alone in his room began.

"Hey Marinette, what's up?" Adrien asked as soon as he picked up her call, more awake than he had been a moment before but still tired.

Adrien had expected a bubbly, slightly jumbled, greeting from his happy friend followed by a question about class. What he had not expected was a shriek followed by what sounded like a painful thud a second later as if Marinette had fallen down. That did not sound good.

"Marinette, Marinette, are you ok?" Adrien called into the phone but all he heard was another shriek and then the phone suddenly went dead. Yup, definitely not good.

"Don't worry Marinette, I will make sure you are ok." Adrien whispered as he dropped his phone on his bed and got up. "Or at least Cat Noir will do so as I can't leave here. Plagg, come on, we have a mission."

"It wasn't me Bonanno, I swear that tower was tilted before I got here." Plagg muttered from the empty Camembert wheel he was dozing in after wolfing down the whole thing as soon as they got home in a disgusting display of gluttony. "I swear, that black cataclysm like mist was not me."

Adrien had absolutely no idea what his kwami was going on about and frankly he didn't care. He had to go and make sure that Marinette was ok which meant that he had to transform now, he would explain it all to Plagg later.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said which woke Plagg up with a start and a squawk as he was sucked into Adrien's ring and Adrien transformed into Cat Noir.

Adrien ran to his window and was about to open it when he remembered the upgraded security system that included locking the windows from the central console in his dad's study at a certain time every night and only unlocking them in the morning. Realizing that there was only one way out Adrien decided to use it, Marinette might be in danger or injured and he could always find Ladybug afterwards to correct this.

"Cataclysm." Adrien called and activated his power.

With a slash, the window disintegrated and Adrien was vaulting into the night and heading straight to Marinette's to see if she was ok. Hopefully she was and then Adrien could return before his ring timed out, recharge Plagg and then call Ladybug and leave a message with some good explanation for why he needed her to use her Lucky Charm as soon as possible. Otherwise, Adrien would have a lot of uncomfortable explaining to do.

This should be a simple welfare check of a friend, nothing else. What could go wrong?

* * *

Marinette was still sitting on the floor of her room, shocked at what had happened, when a tapping on the window interrupted her quiet panic on the floor, Tikki shooting away to hide at the sound of someone outside. The sound startled her and in what Marinette was sure was now a natural reflex, she gave a shriek and fell over backwards, not doing her bruises any good, when she glanced at the window and saw what had caused the noise.

Marinette had a good reason for her reaction. Squatting on the windowsill, perfectly balanced was none other than Cat Noir. Marinette had no idea what he was doing here or why he was visiting her but for some reason he was here and apparently checking in on her. He was smiling at her and rapped on the window again as if he wanted to be let in.

Marinette was confused as to why Cat Noir was there. However, he was and Marinette couldn't see why she shouldn't let him in and at least see what he wanted. With a sigh, Marinette got up with a slight wince and opened her window to let Cat Noir in.

"Thanks." Cat Noir said as he deftly leapt into her bedroom and took a few steps into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Marinette asked closing the window and turning to look at him, both of them remained standing. "I thought after my dad's akumatization you would want to stay away from here for a while, he can be a little enthusiastic at times after all."

"And miss out on the best macaroons in Paris, no way." Cat Noir said with his usual cheeky grin. "Besides he meant well, he was just looking out for his daughter. No, I am here to make sure you are ok."

"I'm fine." Marinette said quickly before adding. "I just fell out of my bed that's all, nothing that I'm not used too, that was why I was on the floor."

"Oh ok, that's good." Cat Noir said with a smile. "I was just checking, I should be going now then."

"Wait!" Marinette said as Cat Noir began to walk towards the window so that he could leave. Marinette needed to know how Cat Noir knew she was in trouble before he left. "How did you know that something had happened, no one knew I had fallen out of my bed."

"Oh that." Cat Noir said and suddenly looked very guilty. "Well I knew that something had happened but not that you had fallen out of bed."

"You weren't watching me where you?" Marinette asked suspiciously. It would very creepy if he had been and she didn't trust his claim that he didn't know the reason for her being in a little trouble.

"What! No, nothing like that." Cat Noir said loudly raising his hands in defense, neither of them hearing the ring beep in the process. "Adrien told me."

"Adrien?" Marinette asked surprised at how Cat Noir had known, her suspicions were gone but they had been replaced with confusion. "How did he know and why did he tell you?"

"He said that you had called him, then shrieked a few times in between a thud before hanging up so he was worried about you." Cat Noir said quickly, still apparently on the defensive from her earlier accusation. "As for why I know, well, er, me and Adrien are good friends. We hang out together every now and then, a few times a month at this point. We got to know each other after the Gorizilla incident. He's a decent guy so when he called me and asked to check in on you because he is locked in his room, I came to check in for him. I should be going soon though, I need to let him know that you are ok."

"Yeah he is a great guy." Marinette mumbled as she blushed at the thought of Adrien carrying enough about her to check in on her even while he was stuck in his room. "And sweet too. Thank you Cat Noir, it was nice of you to help Adrien out with this."

All Cat Noir did was smile at this as he began to go towards the window. He had to walk around Marinette who was still standing in place as she tried to process everything that had just happened.

Marinette was still a little confused as to why Adrien had asked Cat Noir to check in on her and not called back instead, not that she would have picked up regardless given that she was in a state of love induced panic. Marinette then had a moment of fear as she thought that Adrien had asked Cat Noir because they were together at the time and in a way Marinette wanted to be with Adrien which would mean that he was off the market. She was worrying so much that she initially didn't hear what Cat Noir was asking.

"Marinette, I asked, why did you call Adrien?" Cat Noir asked snapping Marinette back to the situation at hand and she turned to look at Cat Noir, he was standing by the window but he had paused to ask her a question.

"Oh, I meant to call Alya, my best friend." Marinette said with a sheepish look at not hearing Cat Noir the first time and a slight blush from the embarrassment. "She called about tomorrow as I was about to fall asleep and I accidentally hit reject so I tried to call her back but misdialed and hit Adrien's number instead. His name is above hers in my contacts and I was so tired I didn't realize until he answered that I had called him."

"That doesn't explain why you ended up on the floor though." Cat Noir pointed out.

"Well that was because I panicked as soon as I heard his voice on the other end." Marinette said which caused Cat Noir to quirk an eyebrow at her. Marinette felt that it was best to explain the truth to Cat Noir, he had come here to see if she was ok and it wasn't like it was a secret to anyone but Adrien and she could make sure that Cat Noir didn't tell him. "I panicked because, well, I am in love with Adrien. So, when I heard his voice on the other end at this time of day I freaked out and fell out of bed and then hung up out of fear as soon as I realized that he was still on the line. I am ok now and please, please don't tell Adrien about any of this, he doesn't know that I love him. Just tell him that I am ok and thank him for caring and looking out for me."

Marinette glanced at Cat Noir and noticed that he was staring at her in shock. Apparently he had not figured out who her crush was even after the Troublemaker attack, he was almost as clueless as Adrien it seemed. Marinette was about to say something to Cat Noir to snap him out of his shock when she heard a sound that made her blood go cold, the sound of Cat Noir's miraculous timing out for some reason. Then his transformation fell before she could look away and Marinette almost feinted at who she saw.

* * *

Adrien stared at Marinette in shocked silence as he tried to process her admission of love for him. He had only asked because he was curious to know why Marinette had called him, her answer had stunned him, it had not bee what he was expecting to hear. Adrien might be Cat Noir at the moment but that didn't stop him from being shocked at what Marinette had just admitted to.

He had never suspected that Marinette had feelings for him deeper than friendship, even after seeing her pictures of him during the fight with Troublemaker because of her plausible excuse, but apparently she was in love with him and Adrien had no idea how to handle it. It was at the moment that fate intervened and forced him to confront this, and another, situation at once and at probably the worst time to deal with Marinette's sudden admission.

With a beep of finality, his miraculous timed out and his transformation fell, sending Plagg into the wall with a thud. There was no way to hide himself, Marinette was about to find out the truth as she stared at him in open mouthed shock, swaying a little on her feet as the color drained from her face at the sight of him.

"Pink! Who is punishing me this time and how in Hades did I end up here!" Plagg exclaimed breaking the moment as Adrien and Marinette looked over to see Plagg staring in horror at the wall. The kwami then turned around and saw the situation that he was now in the middle of. "Merde. This is not good but also not my fault for once."

"No Plagg it is not good." Adrien said shaking his head in apology at his kwami. "It is mine. I didn't realize how close to timing out I was and now, well you summed it up perfectly, it's not good."

"A-A-Adrien." Marinette stuttered out in shock. "Y-y-you C-C-Cat N-N-Noir a-are."

"Er, yes I am." Adrien said apologetically. "I, I didn't mean to transform in front of you, especially right after what you said, I'm sorry. I lost track of time after using my Cataclysm earlier and what you said caused me to focus on you and not my ring. Can you keep my secret?"

Marinette just nodded. She seemed to be stunned into silence, and Adrien had to admit he wasn't surprised. She had just confessed who she was in love with to her love without knowing it, only to find out that said love was in her room the entire time and that he was Cat Noir as well. It wasn't surprising that it was too much for her system, it was a lot to take in one go and the worst possible time for it.

"I-If you Cat Noir are, I mean are Cat Noir, then that means…" Marinette said as she regained her composure a little while Plagg flew over to watch the conversation with a surprisingly keen eye.

"That means that I love Ladybug, yes." Adrien said as gently as he could. "I'm sorry Marinette, for everything. I, I didn't mean to hurt you or reveal this to you, I only wanted to make sure that you were ok and the only way I could do that was as Cat Noir."

"I-It's ok Adrien, I, I just question have." Marinette stuttered out after another pause before continuing with hesitation and trepidation in her voice. "I mean I have a question. Do, do you love the girl under the mask as well as loving Ladybug?"

"Well I don't know who she is." Adrien pointed out but could tell Marinette wanted him to answer so he told her the truth, she deserved that much after what she had been through. "But yes, whoever she is I love her. I always have, ever since I fell for Ladybug. I knew that whoever had been chosen to be Ladybug had to be as special as her or else she would not have been chosen and as such I fell for her, whoever she was under the mask. I love Ladybug, all of her, with or without the mask. I'm sorry."

"Don't be and I can keep your secret so long as you can keep mine." Marinette said with a small smile causing Adrien to blink in confusion at that and the fact that she was blushing for some reason. "Tikki, you can come out now."

* * *

Marinette smiled as Tikki flew out from where she had been hiding and Adrien's mouth fell open as soon as he realized the truth. Marinette had known that she would have to tell Adrien the truth as soon as she realized that he was Cat Noir, and she had recovered from that revelation that she has somehow managed to stay standing for. The only thing she still had to do was make sure that Adrien loved her as her as well as Ladybug, she had to quell her insecurities after all.

He did, which had caused Marinette's heart to almost stop, so that meant that it was go time to reveal her secret. She also wanted to surprise Adrien as much as he had surprised her, a thing she had clearly succeeded at judging by Adrien's face.

"Marinette, you're, you're Ladybug?" Adrien asked as he recovered from his surprise, though he was still staring at Tikki who was now floating next to Plagg and watching them just as keenly as Plagg.

"I am kitty." Marinette said with a smile at him, her confidence had finally come back given all that they now knew.

"Then, then you are the girl who I love." Adrien said as the full realization hit him. "You are my lady."

"And I love you too." Marinette said as she walked to where Adrien was standing and without thinking, she finally kissed him. Well kissed him for the first time with their feelings fully in the open, the Dark Cupid kiss didn't count.

The kiss seemed to last forever. Marinette didn't want it to end but as with all good things, it had to come to an end eventually. Once it was done, Marinette rested her head against Adrien's chest and sighed contently. She could feel a hum in his chest and knew that Adrien was purring but she decided that it was best not to point that out right now, she could tease him about that later.

"I should really get going." Adrien said after a while though he sounded like he didn't want to leave her. "It is late and I will have to ask you to use your Lucky Charm once I am home. I, er, had to use my powers to bust out tonight because dad has increased the security measures in the wake of the recent akuma attacks. Only my Cataclysm could get me out of the house tonight."

"That explains the time out." Marinette said into Adrien's chest. She didn't want him to leave though, she wanted this moment to last forever. "Surely you can stay for a little longer, it is still night, there is plenty of time before you have to return home."

"Well I can stay with my new girlfriend for a while, yes." Adrien said and Marinette knew that she was smiling and blushing furiously and she didn't care, at last she was Adrien's girlfriend. "What's the worst that could happen if I stay anyway?"

Marinette didn't fully hear anything past the girlfriend and staying parts and that was enough for her. Silently, she broke the embrace and led him to her chaise so that they could sit down and cuddle for the first of what Marinette knew would be many times. They had a lot to talk about given what had just happened but thanks to her misdialing Adrien, they're secrets had come out and they were finally together. It had been a happy, perfect, accident.

* * *

Neither teen had realized it but they had fallen asleep together cuddling together on Marinette's chaise. The revelations, events, and excitement of the night had worn them out and Adrien had fallen asleep before he could return home.

It was morning now and Marinette's parents were heading up to her room to wake her for breakfast, after letting her sleep in a little longer than usual. They were going to be in for the shock of their life when they opened Marinette's trap door and the new couple was going to have a lot of explaining to do. Given that Adrien had also left a disintegrated window in his room, it was going to be lot of explaining to do but it would be worth it in the end.

 **Another short and sweet oneshot for y'all, just what was needed after last week's Gargantuan Class oneshot. As I said, next week's oneshot is a special one that is one of my own prompts that I reserve for specific purposes and will be released on a specific date so y'all won't have to wait long for it, it is the first of two planned special oneshots over the next few weeks with specific release dates. There is nothing else to add here, just keep sending me suggestions for this series, we have almost a whole year's worth of oneshots in the pipeline so far, and keep letting me know what you think of this in your reviews, I read all of them and they help me a lot. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	53. Valentine

****Here is the 53rd oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. Happy Valentine's Day to all my wonderful readers, followers, reviewers, suggesters and fans who have kept me motivated to keep writing and uploading these oneshots and who have inspired me to create so many unique and varied reveals (at least I think they are unique and varied), without y'all none of this would be possible. I also want to take this moment to announce that with the publication of this oneshot, I believed that I now have the largest Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir reveal collection on this sight, though I am a few chapters away from the oneshot collection record I think. So thank you to all who have made this possible, it certainly wasn't my intention when I began this collection to be at this point after 10 and a half months (or even still going with it). So again, thank you.****

 ** **This is the second of three specifically themed oneshots with mandatory release dates in this series (the first one was 'Mistletoe' and the third one comes out in March), hence why it is also a self generated prompt and thus not one of the 50 or so oneshots that have been suggested and are waiting to be written and published. As y'all can tell, this is a Valentine's Day special and it is as sweet as y'all could expect but with a nice twist to keep things interesting. Also, to anyone who has seen Backwarder, I did not base any of this oneshot off that episode, what occurred there and in this oneshot regarding the one similarity is purely coincidental, this oneshot was inspired by a short, I think incomplete, reveal fic I read a while back that I felt needed a little flushing out to be good, this is my attempt at that. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Valentine.  
****

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Valentine** **\- It's almost Valentine's Day in Paris so double the romance in the City of Love. Once again Adrien, as Cat Noir asks Ladybug to be his valentine on the eve of Valentine's Day and once again she rejects him because her heart belongs to another. Hurt, Adrien challenges Ladybug about her love and when he realizes that she is scared to confess her feelings to her love, Adrien gives her some advice, despite knowing it will aid his rival. Ladybug thanks him and says she will do what he suggests. What will Adrien do when he realizes who Ladybug's love is? Will one secret cause the dominoes to fall for the Heroes of Paris?  
**

* * *

 **Valentine**

"How about it m'lady, will you be my valentine this year?" Adrien asked Ladybug as they finished another uneventful patrol and he produced a red rose her, which he offered to Ladybug.

It was the end of their Valentine's Day Eve patrol and nothing had happened. Adrien hadn't expected anything to happen, patrols were usually to show the city that they were here to protect it and help out, not look for akumas as most akumas couldn't be predicted. Besides, Valentine's Day was the big day and they both expected there to be an akuma tomorrow, what with all the rejection that occurs on Valentine's Day. Hawk Moth will be spoiled for choice of victims to akumatize in just a few hours.

That was why Adrien had waited until the end of the night to once try and ask Ladybug out, again. Unlike those who wouldn't be able to prepare for it, Adrien had braced himself for rejection once again so he wouldn't risk getting akumatized when it happened. That didn't negate the pain that a rejection would cause but it mitigated any negative emotions which was the goal.

"Cat Noir, you know that I am in love someone else, I'm sorry." Ladybug said gently but with a hint of exasperation and frustration in her voice. "I can't be your valentine when my heart belongs to another. It's not fair to him to give up on him without telling him how I feel, it's not fair to you as I can't give you my heart the way I have given it to him and it's not fair to me to abandon him without knowing if there could have been something between us."

"Yes, but does he love you back?" Adrien asked, he may be in control of his emotions but that didn't mean that this didn't hurt, nor that he was not frustrated with Ladybug for constantly rejecting him for someone who clearly didn't love her back. "You keep saying that you love him but nothing has happened. It's been years, surely after some point you have to give up on him reciprocated your feelings."

"He doesn't know I like him." Ladybug admitted and Adrien saw the conflict in her eyes and instantly regretted the tough love approach as Ladybug clearly hadn't even shown the guy that she liked him. "I am too terrified to do anything about it."

"You? Terrified? You are Ladybug, you are afraid of nothing." Adrien said kindly. He may not like helping his romantic rival but he didn't want to see his lady like this, she looked more vulnerable than he had ever seen her.

Adrien was also still kicking himself for being tough with her when he let out his frustrations at the constant rejections, he hadn't realized that it had been fear that had been preventing Ladybug from acting, it was out of character for her. Adrien knew that he would help her right now, no matter how much it hurt him or screwed him over in the long run.

"I'm terrified that he won't like me back." Ladybug said with a sad sigh after a moment. It was a hard admission for her, Adrien could see that, but he could also see that it was something she needed to get off her chest. "I, I'm just too afraid to confess the truth to him. I'm afraid of being rejected, I don't know how I would handle it and things could get very bad very quickly if he rejects me when I tell him how I feel about him."

"Then why don't you do something indirect instead." Adrien suggested, he didn't really know how to help Ladybug but he would do his best to make her feel better. "That way you can let him know how you feel about him without having to directly tell him and deal with the possible rejection face to face. That way he will realize that you like him and it will give him time to search himself for the truth about his own feelings for you. Besides, you are Ladybug, who doesn't like you."

"That's, that's a great idea." Ladybug said as her eyes brightening at the idea. Though it hurt Adrien to be giving the advice, he was pleased to see that it had made his lady happy again and her happiness was the most important thing to him even it meant that his own happiness had to be sacrificed in the process. "I will do that, thank you Cat Noir. I have an idea that might work."

"You do?" Adrien asked, that was quicker than he had expected. Adrien may be hurt by the rejection and jealous that another guy had stolen his lady's heart, he was still curious as to her plan. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well it is only a vague idea." Ladybug began hesitantly, clearly self-conscious about her idea and explaining it to Cat Noir, but Adrien could also tell that she wanted to get his opinion of her plan so he waited for Ladybug to be ready to continue.

"My idea is to leave what I have already prepared for Valentine's Day in his locker." Ladybug finally began when she was ready, though she wasn't looking at him as she spoke, something that Adrien wasn't surprised at as she was telling the guy who loved her about her plan to give a Valentine's Day gift to another guy. "I, I don't have the courage to give it to him face to face, so I am going to leave it in his locker where I know he will get it. I will sign it from Ladybug and not my civilian name as that way he will know how I got it in there and he will know that I love him but I, I can't face him alone. I have to do it this way, it's the only way I can realistically do it. This way I can wait and let him think it over and see what happens. It's for the best. It was what I had planned on doing before the Backwarder attack a few days ago, in fact it was my mix up that caused that akuma to strike but that's not relevant right now. No, this, this is the only way I can see doing this."

"Ok, that seems like a decent plan of action." Adrien said after he had dissected what Ladybug had rambled on about. He was unsure of how he would feel if someone put something in his locker the way Ladybug was planning to do, but if it was from his love then he wouldn't care, not that it would be from her of course. "Is it just the note?"

"That and a box of homemade macaroons that I am going to bake for him tonight." Ladybug said with a small smile at the thought. "You know, something pink and heart shaped, the perfect thing for Valentine's Day."

"I didn't know you could bake." Adrien said confused, it was the truth he didn't know that his lady could do that. It was one of the first bits of personal information he had ever managed to get out of Ladybug.

"Well, I'm not that good at baking." Ladybug said quickly, almost too quickly but Adrien was still reeling from the whole baking thing. "But I will give it a go for him."

"Oh ok, well I had better be going." Adrien said after another brief moment to think over what Ladybug had said. "I will no doubt see you tomorrow when someone gets akumatized. For now though, I have to get home and get some sleep, it will be a busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah, I am a little bit tired as well and I still have to bake a baker's dozen macaroon." Ladybug said before she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Cat Noir, I know that this is hard for you but I do appreciate the help, you truly are a great friend."

"I know." Adrien said with a sigh as Ladybug turned and swung away from the rooftop they had been standing on. "Hello friend-zone my old friend."

With a final glance at his lady, Adrien vaulted into the night and began heading home. The night had gone pretty much as he had expected and as painful as it was, it was what Adrien had braced himself for, with a little more pain he had inflicted upon himself to help the girl he loved. Secretly, Adrien hoped that whoever this guy who had beaten him to Ladybug's heart would reject Ladybug, as rare as that would be given that she was Ladybug. That way she would come to him and eventual give him the chance that he wanted when she had recovered from the rejection. However, Adrien doubted that Ladybug would be rejected.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day and one Adrien was not looking forward too. His valentine had rejected him so there was no point in expecting anything good to come from the Day of Love in the City of Love.

* * *

Adrien walked up to his locker, ready to drop off his backpack and prepare his books for his morning classes. It was Valentine's Day and all the couples in school were already being really cute, which only served to further deepen his funk on a day when it sucked to be single. His valentine had rejected him, again, so all Adrien could do was get through the day and then go home and bury himself in his studies to forget about it. That is until the inevitable akuma attack happened and Adrien dealt with it.

Yup just a normal day that reminded Adrien of his singleness and how unrequited his love for Ladybug was. That was until he open his locker and got the shock of his life. Adrien promptly jumped back and fell on his ass at the sight of what greeted him in his locker.

Inside was the last thing he had expected, a valentine's surprise and it wasn't one from Chloe as she had already given him something as she did every year despite them just being friends. This valentine, though, was impressive and thoughtful. Adrien had to give the person credit for coming up with it. Inside his locker was a small pink vase with a few red roses in it, a note attached to said vase and all resting on top of an unmarked pink box that was shaped like a heart. It was all touching but did give off the consumerism of Valentine's Day a bit given all the pink, the hearts, and the pink hearts.

Recovering from his shock, Adrien got up and looking around to make sure that he was alone before he reached into his locker and picked up the card. It was a red heart shaped card with hand drawn black dots forming a ladybug pattern, not unusual given Ladybug's popularity in Paris, inside a pale pink envelope that matched the vase and box and had his name is fancy cursive handwritten on the front. Pulling it out, Adrien opened it to read the card, his heart speeding up as he read as the adrenaline began coursing through his body at the words that he was reading in the same neat, feminine cursive inside the card.

 _Adrien,_

 _After receiving advice from a close friend, I finally have found the courage to write you this. I know that this is not as good as giving it to you in person but this is the best I can do given my insecurities regarding my expectations of your reaction to my emotions for you. However, I have come to realize that when you love someone with all your heart, it is best to let that person know sooner rather than later for you do not know when you may get that chance and if you do not take a chance with love then it might pass you by forever. Today, Valentine's Day, I have decided to take that plunge and let you know the truth._

 _Adrien Agreste, I love you. I have for a long time but only recently have I finally found the courage to tell you the truth. I love you with all my heart and soul. You are the only one for me._

 _If you share my feelings for you, then please, meet me atop your mansion tonight so that we may share Valentine's Day together as the sun sets on the most romantic day of the year in the most romantic city in the world. I know that you will be able to meet me there and I will wait there from 23:00 until midnight. If you show then I will know you share my feelings for you. If you either cannot make it or do not love me back then leave a note in your locker, I will check before coming tonight._

 _Sorry that this is so long, there was, and still is, a lot to say and this is the safest medium to say it in._

 _Yours in eternal love,_

 _Ladybug xxx_

 _P.S. I made the macaroons for you to enjoy. Hope you like them_

Adrien's mouth was open and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest at what he was reading. Ladybug loved him, she loved him. The boy she had been rejecting him for all these years had been him and neither of them had even known it.

It made his head hurt a little when he thought about it but Adrien didn't care, his lady loved him back and that was all that mattered right now. The only reason why she hadn't realized that their feelings were mutual was that she didn't know his secret identity, had she known then they would already be together.

That was when Adrien realized what he had to do. He had to go and see her tonight atop his mansion, that part was a no brainer given their share feelings for one another, however he had to initially show up as Cat Noir. Then he could transform back and show her the truth, it was finally time that Ladybug learned the truth about his secret identity anyway. He trusted Ladybug and because of his secret he had been rejected by his lady due to her love for his civilian self, well not anymore.

Adrien put the card back in his locker, committed to not showing his sudden excitement that day after what he had just received so as to avoid any awkward questions about his sudden change in mood. Grabbing a few of the pink, heart shaped, familiar looking macaroons, Adrien began munching on them as he went to class, noting absently that they tasted very good and were very similar to Marinette's macaroons for some reason.

The macaroons were on the back of his mind however. Adrien was committed to what had to be done tonight. For once, he might actually enjoy Valentine's Day.

* * *

It wasn't hard for Adrien to get to the roof of his family's mansion, it was his place after all. His father didn't like him going up there as he might injure himself but Adrien had persuaded his father to let him as it was a safe place to get fresh air, that there was a stone railing so he would be safe, and he wanted to practice some of the basic astronomy he had been learning in one of his classes. His father had eventually relented and now Adrien was on the roof, all he had to do was transform and wait for Ladybug.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said and once he knew that no one was looking and transformed into Cat Noir.

Now it was all a matter of waiting, which was the worst part. There hadn't been an akuma attack today, something that had surprised Adrien but was likely due to there being too much negative and positive emotions for Hawk Moth to target one specific person, so he had been stuck waiting for the time to see his love all day after school. It had been an agonizing wait to finally tell his love, his lady the truth and then they could finally be together. Now, though, the wait was almost over. Only a few more minutes and Ladybug would be here if she stuck to the time in her letter. Adrien's long wait for love was almost at an end as a nearby clock began to strike 11.

* * *

Marinette's heart was beating out of her chest as she swung over the Agreste Mansion's outer wall and landed lightly on the roof of the mansion in a crouch position, too afraid to look up. She had never been more nervous of anything in her life. Give her an akuma any day of the week but confessing her feelings to Adrien, that was too much.

Now was the moment of truth though. She had finally told Adrien that she loved him, well she was hiding behind her Ladybug mask, but she had told him. Now it was time to get his answer.

Adrien hadn't left a note in his locker saying that he couldn't be here or didn't like her the way she liked him so either she would see him during the hour she waited here or he wouldn't show and therefore not be interested in her but couldn't be bothered to tell her that. Whatever the case, Marinette had spent the entire day bracing herself for what might happen so that she wouldn't be akumatized if the worst happened.

Marinette had been so uncomfortable and terrified that she had avoided Adrien all day, not an easy feat given the fact that they were in the same class and the same friend group. It had led to a few painfully clumsy moments as she had avoided Adrien. Still, Adrien had been eating the macaroons all day and he looked happier than usual, and a little distracted, so Marinette took it as a good sign.

The rest of the day had been surprisingly uneventful. There hadn't been an akuma attack which was odd given that Valentine's Day always raised negative emotions. Marinette wasn't complaining though as it would have just distracted her as she slowly waited for the time to go to Adrien's and fought her fear and panic the entire day. Now, though, the time had come and Marinette had to put her fears to rest and face the truth head on, no matter how painful it likely was.

Marinette finally stood from her crouch and looked around only to sigh in annoyance at what she saw. For some reason, it wasn't Adrien who was waiting for her on his roof but Cat Noir. Her akuma fighting partner was leaning on the edge of the roof a cocky grin on his face as he twirled his tail thing. This was not good and Marinette was pissed, angry, and confused as to why he was here.

"Cat Noir, what are you doing here." Marinette hissed as she approached him. "I only told my love to be here. Are you spying on me now, is that it? Is not being with me so hard that you have to figure out who I love and then sabotage it? I am not happy with you or your behavior right now, you had better have a damn good explanation for this."

"Relax bugaboo." Cat Noir said not faltering under her growing anger at him but remaining calm. "Your love is here because I am your love. Only he knew you had left the note and here he is. We have been in love all along but for a specific reason we haven't realized it until now."

"No, I left the note for Adrien, the boy who lives here, not you, because he is the one who I love." Marinette said as her anger started to rise, this was too far even for Cat Noir. "Now tell me how did you find out I was going to be here and…"

Marinette was just getting a head of steam at Cat Noir when she heard something she never thought she would hear while staring at him. It was his deactivation phrase and there was no time to look away to preserve his secret identity.

"Plagg, claws in." Cat Noir said and his transformation fell revealing the truth about everything.

* * *

"You see Ladybug, you were in love with me all along." Adrien said still smiling as his transformation fell and he stood in his civilian form in front of a now open mouthed and wide-eyed Ladybug. "And I love you too, I have for a long time, pretty ever since the first time we learned of Hawk Moth back when we first received our miraculouses. Don't you see? You have been rejecting me for so long because of your love for me and didn't know it because you didn't know the truth. Well now you do and we can be finally be together. I love and trust you Ladybug and I want to be with you but my secret identity was getting in the way, it's time to change that. I know that you didn't want this but it had to happen or else we might be running in circles for years regarding our love, unable to truly be whole when we loved each other but didn't realize it. I know that you don't want to learn our secrets and I will respect that but respect my decision to share mine with you, it is for the best. Now we can be together my love."

Adrien waited as Ladybug slowly came too as she processed the revelation and what he had said about it. He could see conflict, surprise, irritation, fear, and love in her bluebell eyes as she looked at him while he spoke to her. Finally, she spoke.

"Adrien, you, you really are C-Cat Noir?" Ladybug asked to which Adrien just nodded his confirmation, as did Plagg to emphasis his point, his kwami keeping quiet for once give the situation. "Then I just have one question for you now that I know the truth. As you know from last night, I left my name off the letter because I felt hiding behind my mask the safest bet. Now that I know that you are Cat Noir, and that you love Ladybug I have to know; will you still love the girl I am without this mask if you knew who I was beneath it?"

"Ladybug, I already love that girl because that girl is you." Adrien said with a soft, kind, loving smile at her. "You were chosen to be Ladybug for a reason so you are her, with or without the mask, and as such I love you, all of you."

"Oh ok, that's, that's good to know." Ladybug said with a small smile a large, deep blush on her cheeks. "In that case. Tikki, spots off."

* * *

Marinette smiled as Adrien's mouth fell open at her civilian form, it was his turn to be shocked at a revelation. She had been debating whether or not to tell him the truth if Adrien had been here and had reciprocated just to make sure that he loved all of her, but after learning that Cat Noir was Adrien and that she had been in love with him all along, only rejecting him for, well, him, that she had seriously thought about revealing her secret to him.

Adrien's speech had made sense and solidified her belief that she too had to reveal her secret to him so that they could both know the full truth and stop running around in circles. They both loved and trusted each other, they needed to come clean about who they were in order to move forward. Their secret identities had become too much and caused too many problems, it was time to fully trust one another.

Marinette had just needed to know one thing before she could trust Adrien with her secret. She had needed to know whether or not Adrien loved her under the mask or not seeing as he loved Ladybug and not Marinette. It had been a mistake that she had made falling for Adrien and not imagining him as Cat Noir but they were different enough for her to not notice and love for Adrien had was so great that she could only focus on him.

However Adrien had pointed out that they had been chosen for a reason which meant that they were the same with or without the masks so she was in love with Cat Noir and just hadn't realized it because of their secret identities. That had given Marinette the final boost of courage to tell Adrien the truth.

"Marinette? You're Ladybug?" Adrien asked surprised finally breaking out of his shock.

"I am kitty." Marinette said as she slowly walked towards him, unsure of why she was doing this but knowing that this was the best course of action. "And I love you Adrien."

"I love you too Marinette." Adrien said, saying the words that she had been wanting to hear for a long, long time.

Without thinking, Marinette wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck, lifted up on her toes, and kissed him. He returned it with a passion that matched her own as they finally shared their love for each other and the new couple lost themselves in the moment. At last they were together, at last their love and secrets were out and what better day for their love to blossom than Valentine's Day. It had been the best Valentine's Day of their lives. At last, everything was perfect.

* * *

"Well, well, well, what do we have here." Nathalie Sancoeur said as she looked at the live security footage of the roof that was now showing Adrien making out with Marinette Dupain-Cheng on the roof but moments earlier had shown Ladybug and Cat Noir. "Looks like your secrets are out Ladybug and Cat Noir, you should be more careful when there are security cameras around. This will certainly help Gabriel in finally attaining victory when I serve your identities to him on a silver platter, he will not be happy with you Adrien, he is doing all of this for you. It will be the perfect Valentine's gift for the man I love, even if he will never love me back. Mark my words, your days as heroes are numbered Ladybug and Cat Noir. Hawk Moth's victory is now assured. Enjoy this moment of peace and love while it lasts, it will be the last you two ever have."

 **I couldn't resist having an ominous ending like this, only the second time I have done so and it made for a nice twist in a Valentine's Day themed oneshot and departed a little from my usual sweet and lovey reveal fics. This is it, my attempt at a Valentine's Day special for my Miraculous Revelations collection (though I am thinking of changing the title to 'Miraculous: Revelations of Ladybug & Cat Noir' so let me know if that works better). This was a nice short and sweet oneshot for this special day which I couldn't resist creating a oneshot for given how much of the love square is dictated by the secrets of Ladybug and Cat Noir. The next special oneshot with a specific theme and release date will come out in March, if any of y'all figure out the day and theme let me know as I could use some suggestions as to the content of that oneshot. 'Gold' doesn't count as a special date oneshot, though it is a very special oneshot in its own right, as it was a required sequence release and not a required date release. If y'all like these date themed ones I could do more for special days like Bastille Day and Halloween, though I will probably not use holidays that are predominately American or British. **

**I should be able to get next week's oneshot out on time, I hope, but I do have another fanfiction project that needs drafting in advance so I may begin to slow down with this series, especially during lulls in the show. Anyway, that is all for this oneshot, as always keep the suggestions coming and keep letting me know what y'all think in your reviews. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	54. Quiet

**Here is the 54th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I am sorry that this has taken a month to get out, I had not planned on taking so long but real life decided to hit me hard over the last few weeks with school work and sickness. Also, this oneshot required the most research of any oneshot to date so that added to the time needed to write it properly, plus I am also still working on my other fanfic in my crossover universe that has to be written and uploaded over this time. But these are just excuses, I know I should do better. Anyway, this unique oneshot was suggested by the same suggester who keeps finding new and interesting ways to reveal Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities to one another. As stated, this oneshot required me to do more research than usual as I had only a passing knowledge of the subject matter. That is enough for this pre chapter note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Quiet.  
**

 **Post upload note: Events in this oneshot have since been deemed non-canonical by the episode 'Silencer' and as such I am declaring this whole oneshot to be anti-canon, the first of its kind which given that this is the 54th oneshot is pretty impressive, though at least one oneshot in production (known as 'Braid') has been removed from production due to becoming anti-canon prior to publication. Due to already publishing it, I am keeping it uploaded and intact but the events of this oneshot are purely confined to this oneshot and the actions in this that are no longer canon will not be used again in any similar oneshots.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Quiet** **\- It's Adrien's turn to present something to the class and teach them about it and he has decided to teach them one of the many languages he knows, Morse Code. After class, Marinette, Alya, and Nino want to learn more about Morse Code and how it is used. Happy to teach his friends, Adrien teaches them some abbreviations of the code to use if they ever need to and despite a few consistent mistakes, makes sure his friends learn it. This wouldn't be useful in most situations though, right? Well fate has a way of screwing with people and when Adrien is faced with an akuma that can take away sound, he has to use Morse Code and Ladybug has a very noticeable and consistent mistake. Could she be one of his friends?  
**

* * *

 **Quiet**

Adrien wasn't nervous, he was calm, cool and collected. Years of modeling for his father's fashion shows and magazines had ensured that he was no longer nervous when in front of people. Still, this time he was giving a presentation to his class and not taking pictures for a fashion shoot where he might not know the people so this was a little different. It wasn't something that Adrien couldn't handle though.

Ms. Bustier had decided at the start of the semester that every student would give a presentation on something that they did in their free time and teach it to the class for a day. It was mandatory for their grade and had been really fun for the kids as everyone in class had their own thing that they did when not in school. Marinette had done baking, Alya had taught them how to run a blog, Nino had taught them how to DJ, Max had given them a lesson on coding, and Nathan had taught them about drawing. Now it was Adrien's turn.

Adrien had initially thought about teaching Chinese but he had quickly realized that it might be too hard for a singular lesson and besides it was what was expected of him and Adrien wanted to share something different with his class. Instead he had decided to do one of the other languages he spoke or understood as some weren't verbal, and one that was not common these days, Morse Code.

Adrien's father had insisted on studying languages from as young as Adrien could remember. It was why he had grown up speaking French, English and Italian and as such could speak all three without an accent, though French was still his native language. He could also speak Spanish and Chinese as they had been the next he had been made to learn and was in the process of learning Japanese because of his friendship with Kagami. In addition, his father had insisted that he learn some of the other forms of language just in case Adrien might need them, that was why he could understand Morse Code, Braille and Sign Language.

Adrien had decided that Morse code would be the easiest for the class to learn and had chosen that as it was one of the best ones, at least in his mind, to teach given that it could be understood both audibly and visually. Besides, all he had to do was show that he was prepared and knew what he was talking about and he would get full credit for this. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to give it his all, Adrien always tried his hardest.

"Today, my chosen topic is one of the many languages that I know to a passable level, Morse Code." Adrien said as he clicked a button on the clicker for the projector and pulled up his first slide, a two branched flow chart that he had used to learn the language in the first place. "I know that of all the languages that I speak, or in this case read, hear and can transmit, this is probably the most dated, useless and irrelevant one but it is also in my mind the simplest to learn and has the potential to be one of the most useful. That is because it can be communicated both audibly and visually."

"Why is that?" Max asked. "Markov understands it because of his programming but he never said anything about it being more than an auditory language."

"For the most part it is auditory as that is its historic use." Adrien agreed with a nod. "It's most notably use is as as a form of communication between ships and was sent over radios between them. However, with fog being a presence and a danger when a ship is near the coast, Morse Code can be communicated visually as well as auditory as it requires timing more than sound to be understood. Let me show you."

Adrien used a button on the clicker to turn it into a red dot laser, something that he had a strange animal sense deep within him to chase and paw at but quashed it quickly. Adrien pressed the button three times in quick succession, then pressed it down and held it for a few seconds three times, and then repeated the first display, going a little slower than usual so it was clear what he was doing.

Afterwards, he hit a button on his phone and the process was repeated, this time by his phone making 3 sharp beeps, 3 long beeps, and 3 sharp beeps again so that the class could hear the code in action. When it was done, Adrien addressed the class again.

"That was the most common usage of Morse Code in both an auditory and visual manner so you can see how Morse Code can be used in two different ways." Adrien said to the class, who were all now very interested in what Adrien had to say. "The three rapid dots or sounds represent the letter S while the three long dots or sounds represent the letter O. It stands for S.O.S. which translates to Save Our Souls, the distress call used in Morse code. It is so universal that many who don't know anything else in Morse Code know what S.O.S. is or at least know the acronym."

"So, every letter has a corresponding combination?" Alya asked.

"It does." Adrien said with a smile at his friend's quick understanding of what Adrien was teaching them. "Like Braille, Morse Code has a system for deciphering it. A combination of what is called dits and dahs, the short and long sounds or sights respectively, is used to represent each letter of the alphabet, along with the numbers 0 to 9. This cadence difference is why Morse Code can be transmitted both visually with lights and audibly with beeps. There is always a pause that is longer than a dah between letters so that it there is no confusion. S.O.S., which replaced the C.Q.D. distress call, is the easiest to use, transmit and understand as the letters are some of the only ones that don't use some combination of dits to dahs but are long enough to get the message across without confusion. This flow chart behind me is how I learned both Morse Code and Braille respectively and it is what I will use to give you a basic understanding of the language."

For the rest of the class Adrien went over the chart, how it was a useful tool for learning an alphabet like Morse Code and explained to his class how the Code worked. He had prepared some basic exercises and used both auditory and visual representations of the code to give the class a chance to practice both in class and afterwards it if they wanted to test themselves a bit more.

All in all, it was a fun class that accomplished a lot and Adrien felt that he had done a good job with his presentation when the bell rang to signal the end of class. Now, though, it was time for lunch.

* * *

"Dude, you have to explain more about Morse Code." Nino said to Adrien as they sat down for lunch. "It's so cool and I can use it to have hidden messages when I DJ."

It was after class and Adrien was with Nino, Marinette and Alya eating lunch as usual. His class had gone well and clearly his friends wanted to learn more. Adrien was more than happy to go into more detail on Morse Code with his friends.

"What do you want to know?" Adrien asked. "It's not something that can be learned overnight, though a basic overview can be done so. It took me a while with a tutor to learn it and even longer to reach a level of proficiency that allowed me to understand it when it is properly transmitted."

"What about shorthand?" Alya asked. "Surely there is a Morse Code shorthand? You pointed out things like S.O.S and C.Q.V. so there has to be other shorthand that makes it easier. We won't learn to understand it at the speed it is supposed to be at but a shorthand will help."

"There is." Adrien said with a nod as he took a bite out of his lunch. "I didn't get into it because that is the next level and you need to understand the alphabet first before we address the shorthand. As such today was just the alphabet and basics but I agree, it is hard to when words are spelled out. That is why there are a handful of brevity codes that are used to convey messages via Morse Code. They make it easier to communicate and cut down the time needed to send a message"

"So, what is the shorthand dude?" Nino asked curiously. "Or these brevity codes as you call them."

"There are a handful but the two I am most familiar with are the standard Morse Code abbreviations and the Q Code." Adrien said as he took a bite of his lunch. "However, because Morse Code is not widely used today and was primarily a nautical and later an aeronautical system, they are very much tailored towards those fields so not the most useful in most situations."

The other three just blinked at Adrien when he was done, which was what he was expecting given the limited knowledge most had on the history and use of Morse Code. Adrien knew that he would have to explain them in more depth but he wanted to do so, it was nice to share his knowledge with his friends, it made the forced learning his father put him through all those years ago worth it.

"I will give you a few examples." Adrien said as he finished his meal and took a sip of water. "But I suggest that you write them down for now as they take some time to memorize. To keep things simple, I will only use abbreviations that we could use in class or that would come in handy during an akuma attack should we need to communicate silently."

The others complied but Adrien knew that the latter part was more for their benefit than his. He was always fighting the akuma and short of another Robostus, Adrien didn't expect to ever need Morse Code again while fighting an akuma. The others might need it though because it shouldn't attract an akuma's attention when the use it, provided they use a visual and auditory method of transmitting the Code. Course Adrien had rarely seen Marinette near an akuma but he chalked that up to her being sensible and always hiding well away from them, even when they came after her which happened more frequently than for most people.

"We're ready." Alya said as she had her journalist's notepad out. "Give us the abbreviations oh mighty Adrien."

"So here are just a few standard abbreviations or shorthand that I used." Adrien said with a light laugh as the others leaned in. "Though I won't give you anything from the Q Code at this moment as they are set questions with set responses designed for ships and as such not as usefully right now. We can look at those once you master the alphabet and the abbreviations if you are still interested."

"Makes sense." Marinette said with a nod. "It would be me confusing too, I mean too confusing for me and I already trip over normal words."

"RCD." Adrien said with a kind smile at Marinette that made her blush for some reason as he tapped out the Morse code for it on the table causing the others to look at him confused. "Sorry, that stands for received in Morse Code, well it is one of the abbreviations for it but it is the one that I prefer to use. I was letting Marinette know that her message was received and demonstrating the dits and dahs needed for it."

"Shouldn't it be something like RCV?" Nino asked trying to tap out the code but managed to tap out RCU instead of RCV by forgetting that V was dit dit dit dah and not dit dit dah, the latter making it a U and not a V. "Why is it RCD?"

"Because Morse Code is named after the man who began the process of developing in, Samuel F. B. Morse, an American who invented the telegraph machine." Adrien said instantly, the history having been drilled into his brain when he initially learned Morse Code. "Sorry I left that out in class. Morse is American and as such English was the basis of his work in developing the method of communication that would eventually become Morse Code. This led to the adoption of the code's abbreviations being based on the English for words and not other languages. It also helped that the British at the time were the dominant naval power at the time so they played a significant role in the development of the Code as well. There is one exception I will teach you, though there is an English version as well, and that is SVP which stands for please and is based off our own language."

"Makes sense." Alya said as she noted down the abbreviation. "What ate the other useful ones?"

Adrien smiled and spent the rest of the lunch break giving them the other abbreviations he thought were useful. In all Adrien taught them the abbreviations, and made sure they knew the proper Morse code, for: confirm (CFM), repeat (RPT), sorry (SRI), thanks (THX), transmit (TR), good (GD), you (U), going (GG), leave (LV), working (WKG), again (AGN), wait (AS), I say again (II), invitation to transit (K), ok (OK), and wilco (WC). The last one was more because of Adrien liked it, he wasn't sure if they would use it.

By the end of the lunch break Adrien was satisfied that his friends understood the basics of Morse Code and the abbreviations, though Marinette kept mixing up B and D and could never get those letters right but it was still intelligible when she did so. It had been fun to teach them to his friends and they had enjoyed learning it. They would come in use when the next akuma attack occurred, whenever that might be, though Adrien expected to never have to use it himself during an akuma attack for a long time.

* * *

The final bell rang to signal the end of school for the day. Adrien gathered his things from class, rose and walked out of the classroom with Nino. Moments later they were joined by Marinette and Alya in the courtyard to have a final chat before going home.

"Going home dude or can you come chill with us?" Nino asked Adrien once they were all gathered.

"Alas I have to go home." Adrien said shaking his head. "I have Chinese in an hour and piano practice after that."

"Dude your dad has to let you out at some point." Nino pointed out. "You need your own life bro."

"One day he will but until he lightens up I am stuck with it." Adrien said with a sigh. He really wanted to just chill with his friends but he knew that he couldn't until his father stopped being so controlling.

"He has been getting a little better lately." Alya said. "He let you go to the premier of that Ladybug and Cat Noir animated film."

"True and I had fun with Marinette and Kagami there, except when the director got akumatized of course." Adrien said with a smile at Marinette that made her go bright red and fall over for some reason. "So hopefully soon he will let me be a teenager but until then I should be getting home. Dad always wants me to return right after school if I don't have fencing."

"Alright dude, see you tomorrow." Nino said as he and Adrien fist bumped while Alya picked Marinette up.

"See you tomorrow." Adrien said with a wave as he turned and began to leave. That was when the the silent shock wave hit him.

The shock wave knocked them all off their feet and Adrien didn't need to look around to know what it was, it was an akuma attack. Someone at the school had been akumatized and attacked, though oddly this one had caused no sound when it had struck. These days, anything violent or destructive was almost certainly an akuma attack.

"I gotta go, dad will expect me home right away, he gets really nervous during akuma attacks." Adrien said quickly as he ran off to find a place to hide.

"Me too." Adrien thought he heard Marinette say but he couldn't be sure as he was already running to find a place to hide.

His first priority was that he had to find a place to transform. Adrien ran into the school, that was already pretty much deserted as many students went straight home, and saw a closet door. It was a standard janitorial closet which meant that it was perfect for Adrien's purpose.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled as soon as he was safely hidden in the janitorial closet.

Once the transformation was complete, Adrien burst out of the closet and ran back to the courtyard to assess the situation. As soon as he reached it he saw Ladybug swinging in from above and landing in the center of the courtyard. Again, she arrived at the sight of the akuma attack really quickly as if she was nearby but Adrien didn't care, she was here and that was all that mattered. Still, the attack had been silent so it was fortunate that she had been nearby as she might have missed the akuma otherwise.

"M'lady, good to see you again." Adrien said giving his crush his usual cocky grin that she just rolled her eyes at in their usual greeting.

"Cat Noir, punctual as always." She said as she began to look around for the akuma.

"I was prowling in the neighborhood when the akuma struck." Adrien said with a smirk. "I got as curious as a cat so I had to check it out."

"Well whatever it is, it's in the library." Ladybug said as she pointed up to where a pair of doors on the balcony had been blown off their hinges and landed in the courtyard.

"That's a library up there?" Adrien asked with feigned confusion so as to not let on that he knew the school.

"Well I assume it is, you can see the books." Ladybug said quickly, a little too quickly it seemed.

"Oh yeah, you can." Adrien said as he looked up and saw a few of the shelves in the library. "Well, looks like it's our turn to check out a book."

Ladybug just groaned at Adrien's joke as she swung her yo-yo and hooked the balcony, pulling herself up and taking point in their assault on the latest akuma to terrorize Paris. Adrien just smirked and ran after her, using his staff to vault up to the same level. It was time to once again save Paris.

Ladybug had already run ahead and into the library, not waiting for him to join her as she took the fight to the akuma. Adrien quickly followed her into the library, looking around the eerily quiet room for Ladybug and the akuma. When he saw her, Adrien stopped dead in his tracks.

Ladybug had been ambushed by the akuma, something that usually only happened to him. It had attacked her as soon as she had entered and thrown her into the bookcase opposite the door, destroying it and causing several books to fall down on her. Adrien glanced around quickly, not seeing the akuma, before beginning to walk towards Ladybug as she was his primary concern.

At that moment Ladybug sat up and saw Adrien and opened her mouth and began to yell at him but no sound came out. Adrien was confused, that confusion did last for long as Ladybug realized that she couldn't talk so she pointed over Adrien's shoulder. Adrien turned and barely flipped out of the way as the akuma leapt from the upper balcony and struck.

A large library return stamp slammed into the ground where Adrien had been standing seconds before but no sound emanated from the impact, only a shock wave and a large crack in the floor where the stamp had struck. It was powerful and caught Adrien off guard long enough for the akuma to reorient itself and strike Adrien in the chest with the stamp before he could get set himself and get a good look at the akuma.

Adrien felt the air driven from his lungs as the magical object hit him squarely in the chest. It sent him flying backwards and painfully through one bookcase that served to break up the rectangular room. Adrien didn't stop there. He went skidding along a work table and into a second bookcase that was against on the far wall. Adrien hit the latter bookcase hard and at a low angle which caused the case to fall down on top of him. His super durability and strength helped some but it didn't make the entire attack any less painful.

Adrien grunted in pain from under the bookcase but no sound came out of his mouth. He cursed when he made no sound but again no sound came out of his mouth. That was when he realized what this akuma's power was, silence. It could silence anyone or anything it hit with its stamp so being in the library made a lot of sense now. That was why it had been able to surprise both him and Ladybug and why it had made no sound when it had struck the ground. That also meant one important thing, the akuma was in the stamp.

With a massive effort from his enhanced stength, Adrien managed to push the bookcase up enough to wriggle out from underneath it. The bookcase made no sound as it hit the floor, likely from the strike to the floor. Adrien painfully got to his feet and realized that there was yet another problem.

The akuma had turned over some bookcases to block the exit and was now pacing up and down the middle of the library between him and Ladybug, separating them though Adrien couldn't see his lady at the moment. With their inability to speak, they couldn't coordinate and fighting as a team was how they won. This made the akuma one of their toughest opponents ever.

Adrien finally got a good look at the akuma who was pacing the center of the library between them twirling the stamp as it paced. Adrien recognized the akuma as the old, stern, librarian who constantly shushed them while they were in the library, though she naturally looked eviller than she did when not akumatized.

She was dressed in a dark, older style, outfit that was buttoned all the way up to her neck and looked like the kinda thing an evil librarian would wear. Her steel gray hair was pulled into a severe bun, her skin a sickly yellow, the same color that old book pages went, and a mask adorned her face that looked like the horn-rimmed glasses that she usually wore. Clearly one too many students had been too loud and Hawk Moth had capitalized on it.

Adrien couldn't see Ladybug but given the fact that she wasn't where he had first seen her, he assumed that she was on the other side of the library after having retreated there after Adrien had been attacked. The librarian was between them and they couldn't speak so they were prevented from any form coordination, except possibly one.

Adrien had no idea if it would work but he knew that he had to try. Twisting the end of his baton, he found the feature that would turn it into a red dot laser pointer and resisting the urge to chase the dot that he always had when transformed, began pressing on the Cat Noir symbol on the baton to blink out a message in Morse Code. Adrien was aiming for the wall above where Ladybug had been thrown in hopes that she would see it and understand that it was from him.

Hopefully she could understand Morse Code or else they might actually be defeated by an akuma at last. Adrien had to try though so he kept repeating his message hoping that his lady would see and be able to understand what he was trying to say to her.

* * *

Marinette was silently cursing herself for her foolish stupidity. She would be loudly cursing herself but for the fact that she had let herself get surprised by the akuma and been silenced by its power. She had run bull headed into the library assuming she would find some destructive, cackling akuma to fight as usual while Cat Noir brought up the rear, and to avoid anymore of his word play or possible puns about fighting in a library, that she hadn't seen the attack until it was too late.

The silent akuma had struck her in the chest with the stamp when Marinette turned around to see if Cat Noir had followed her into the library yet. The akuma had been out of sight behind the destroyed doors, something that Marinette understand why the akuma had done so, waiting for her and hit her before leaping up to the balcony level and away before Cat Noir ran in.

The impact had been painful but if Marinette was being honest, her pride was hurt more than her body as she rarely let an akuma get one up on her. She had tried to warn Cat Noir when he had come rushing in but that was when she realized she couldn't speak. All Marinette could think to do was point but it only saved Cat Noir from the first attack, the second one caught him in the chest and flung him away.

Marinette had used the distraction to get to her feet and head to the other side of the library, though she couldn't see Cat Noir from her current position behind a still intact bookcase. That akuma seemed to be content waiting for Cat Noir to get up from wherever he had ended up and pace between them.

Without being able to speak, Marinette was sure that they couldn't communicate and were thus at a significant disadvantage in this fight. This akuma was different to most as it was patient and silent, not bragging or threatening but waiting for the right moment to strike. It make the akuma one of the deadliest ones that they had ever faced and they didn't even know its name.

Marinette was wondering what to do when suddenly a red light from a laser pointer started flashing intermittently on the wall above where she had been hit. It took a moment for Marinette to realize that there was a specific timing and pattern to the flashes, sometimes it was a quick dot and other time the light stayed on for a second or so longer. That was when Marinette realized that Cat Noir was using Morse Code to contact her.

She had known that Cat Noir knew Morse Code, the memory of when they had faced Robostus and Cat Noir had translated the light bulb mayor's address had come to her mind during Adrien's presentation because of how odd it was that both Adrien and Cat Noir were fluent in such an outdated method of communication but everyone else she knew wasn't. Now, though, it and Adrien's teaching would save them.

It took Marinette a few more repetitions and a mistake or two before she got the message that Cat Noir was trying to send to her. Fortunately, the patient akuma allowed for them to coordinate via Morse Code, though Marinette expected that the akuma's patience wouldn't last forever.

LB CAN U READ ME the message Cat Noir was communicating said, or at least that was what Marinette thought it said. It took her a few repetitions to fully dissect it but he was repeating it so that helped, she was still new at this after all. It was also in English and not French for some reason but she assumed that it was because it was easier to use English in this situation.

Marinette knew that there was only one way to respond. Chucking her yo-yo in the air, she yelled 'Lucky Charm' though no sound escaped her lips. Still, the power worked and a ladybug print laser pointer, the very thing she needed right now, appear. Clicking it and aiming it at her hand Marinette was pleased to see that its color was green so it wouldn't be confused with his. Pointing the laser at the spot that Cat Noir was using, Marinette strained her brain to remember the code and some of the abbreviations before she flashed out her response, keeping it in English and as basic as possible as well. She also didn't know punctuation in Morse Code so she hopped that this would work.

CN I REAB U WAT NOW SVP RPT TR I NO GB AT M COBE

Marinette repeated the message once more before she got a response. Again Cat Noir kept it as simple as possible and repeated it a few times so that she had the time to translate it as best she could.

It wasn't hard as his response was only two letters: LC

It took a moment for Marinette to realize that he was asking if she had used her Lucky Charm yet. Using the product of her Lucky Charm, Marinette transmitted her response as best she could.

CFM USEB LC FOR LASER

Marinette repeated her message a few times so that Cat Noir could understand it. As soon as she saw his red laser dot she stopped her message and began reading his response. It took a few minutes for her to understand it but once she did she smiled, it was a good plan.

OK AS MY GO THEN LASER EYE I USE CCM AND DTY STAMP CFM

Marinette couldn't argue with the plan, so long as CCM meant Cataclysm and DTY destroy that was. If so, Cat Noir would use his cataclysm to destroy the akuma while she blinded it. It was honestly the only really logical plan they could do. She just needed to confirm and wait.

CFM AS UR GO

She repeated it until Cat Noir flashed his light to show that he had understood. Marinette turned off her light and waited, hoping that the akuma wouldn't attack before Cat Noir was ready. She knew the wait was so that Cat Noir could activate his power so it shouldn't be too long. Seconds later his light flashed again, this time it only said one word.

GO

* * *

Adrien was surprised when Ladybug responded in passable sign language to his message. However, he was more shocked at the consistent mistake she made and actually let her repeat her message to confirm that the mistake was indeed consistent. She added an extra dit to D and in the process turned it into a B, though Adrien still understood what she was saying with the message.

At first Adrien had just brushed it off as an easy mistake to make. Ladybug had said that she wasn't great at Morse Code. However, when she kept making it and repeated it during her repetition of the message Adrien realized it was more than a mistake, Ladybug didn't know that she was using B and not D. It was the exact same mistake that Marinette had kept using earlier. No matter how many times Adrien tried to change it, Marinette kept making the same mistake again and again, it was the same for Nino only he mixed up U and V, not B and D.

Ladybug then made the same mistake again in her next response almost confirming her identity to him in the process. It made sense. She had arrived almost as soon as he had, had apparently only just picked up Morse Code, and kept making the same mistake that Marinette did. Marinette had to be Ladybug.

Adrien pushed that possibility to the back of his mind though. He could confirm it later, for now he had to come up with a plan. That plan came to him when Ladybug told him that the laser she was using had been caused by her Lucky Charm.

After relaying the plan and getting confirmation, Adrien silenced Marinette. Flipping the baton to his left hand, Adrien raised his right and yelled.

"Cataclysm!"

No sound came out but as soon as he said the word, his power activated. Adrien would have to ask Plagg later about how it worked with him not saying the words but his gut told him that it was likely intention and not the sound itself that activated his power. With his power activated, Adrien sent one word to Ladybug.

GO

Knowing that his lady would understand it, Adrien leapt high in the air and silently yelled a cry of attack at the akuma, old habits were hard to break after all. The akuma wasn't goingto hear him but she didn't notice his attack anyway as she was preoccupied with Ladybug. His lady had spun over the shelf that had been hiding her from his view and caught the akuma's attention first, as was the plan. As soon as the akuma looked at her, Ladybug began shinning the laser into the akuma's eyes.

The effect was just what Adrien had been hoping for. The akuma sneered and took a step back to shield her eyes with her off hand while she held her stamp limply in her other hand. It was only for a moment but it was more than enough time for Adrien to exploit the distraction.

As fast as possible, Adrien brought his powered-up hand down onto the stamp and caused it to disintegrate to dusk from the destructive power of his miraculous. The butterfly flew out and the power was broken as sound rushed into the room.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug yelled out loud, their first words since before entering the library, as she opened her yo-yo, spun it and caught the butterfly. A second later, she released the snow white, purified, butterfly. "Bye-bye little butterfly."

"Man is it good to be able to talk again." Adrien said with happiness. "So many good library puns that were lost because of that."

"Oh, the joy." Ladybug said sarcastically before she tossed the laser pointer in her hand up in the air and shouted. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

As usual, a stream of magical ladybugs flew out of the lucky charm and put everything to right. As soon as everything was right, both of their miraculouses beeped. It was time to go.

"Gotta go." Ladybug said as she ran out of the library and into the courtyard. Adrien followed her, this was his only chance to confront her about her identity, if he could get her alone that was.

Ladybug swung her yo-yo and used it to swing onto the roof. Adrien did the logical thing and followed her up to the roof. Ladybug was already running towards the edge. No one was around so this was Adrien's chance to confirm his suspicion.

"Marinette, wait!" Adrien called out knowing that if he was right she would react in some way, which she did.

As soon as he said her name, Marinette stopped so suddenly that she fell over and rolled across the roof from the momentum she had had prior to Adrien saying her name. Adrien ran after her and helped her to her feet to make sure that she was ok. As soon as she was up she brushed him off and took a few steps away from him.

"Guess I was right." Adrien said with a cocky grin that only caused Marinette to glare at him. Adrien knew that he was definitely right, her reaction had confirmed what he had suspected, Marinette was Ladybug.

"How did you know." Marinette hissed out. clearly she wasn't thrilled at her identity being found out.

"Your mistake in Morse Code earlier." Adrien said simply. "I know that Marinette kept mixing up B and D when I was teaching it to her, no matter how many times she tried a word with either letter. That plus your rapid response to an akuma that made no sound and the recent grasp of Morse Code made me suspect that it was you once this factors were added to the consistent mistake you had in your transmissions. I did spend all of lunch teaching you it after all and you kept making the same mistake over and over again, it is hard to forget something like that."

* * *

Marinette's eyes widened and her mouth fell open at what Cat Noir had just said to her. She had been stunned when Cat Noir had revealed that he knew who she was under her mask, her reaction had been telling of that surprise, and now she couldn't deny it but he had then said something that confirmed who he was. There was only one person who he could be based on how he had figured out who she was and what he said about teaching her Morse Code.

In hindsight it made sense but still it was a shock to learn who his was. Weakly, she said his name to confirm it because if she was right, the implications of who Cat Noir was were greater than Marinette could have ever thought possible no matter how potentially wondrous those revelations could be.

"Adrien?"

* * *

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien said with a smile as his transformation fell revealing himself to Marinette for the first time and confirming her question.

Adrien had known that he would tell her who he was as soon as possible if he ever found out who she was, he just had to give her enough clues to figure it out herself as she wouldn't appreciate him just telling her the truth outright. She had a right to know the truth if he knew the truth about her after all but she also had to figure it out on her own.

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette muttered and her transformation fell confirming that it was her. "I guess your lesson on Morse Code was more useful than we could have expected."

"Yeah I never thought I would be using it in a fight, especially so soon after teaching it, let alone that it would help me figure out who you are." Adrien said with an apologetic shrug. "I didn't mean to find out, I know how much you wanted to keep our identities secret."

"It couldn't be helped." Marinette said with a sigh. "That akuma was different to any we have faced before, the situation ensured that we would have to use Morse Code and when that happened, you figuring out who I was was inevitable. Of course, we have to keep this between us."

"We, we need to talk about this." Adrien agreed. He was nervous now as it meant that Marinette was his crush but he plowed through it. "And I agree, we need to keep this between us but I have to get home, dad will be getting worried given the akuma attack and my not returning as soon as it happened. How about I call you tonight so we can talk about it."

"I'd, I'd like that." Marinette said shyly with a blush. "But yeah, let's get off this roof and get home, my parents will be just as worried as your dad will be."

Adrien nodded as he turned and led the way off the roof. Marinette quickly fell into step silently at his side, they would talk about all of this later. Adrien didn't know what the future would hold but he knew that it would be very different now that he knew who his crush was under her mask. The main thing Adrien knew was simple though; he was in love with Marinette.

 **I couldn't resist a slightly tempting ending to this oneshot. Again, sorry that this took so long but as y'all can tell I had to learn a lot about Morse Code to write this, though I still only know a few letters by heart (I did once learn how to read Braille but that is no more as well so I am only triliterate these days). Due to being busy next week, I will not be uploading next week but I will spend my free time working on a very special oneshot that is coming out on a set date this month that is technically one of my self generated bonus oneshots. Alas the inevitable has happened to one of my planned oneshots, after this week's fantastic episode of Miraculous Ladybug (one of the best and most meta episodes in my opinion), the show canonized something that was the basis of next week's oneshot reveal (it was a Basic Class so it could have been released despite my schedule) so that oneshot has been suspended indefinitely, the first of its kind. I hope that this will not happen in the future but I cannot control the show and I stick to canon as much as possible. Anyway, that is enough for this oneshot. As always keep letting me know what you think of my work in your reviews and keep the suggestions coming. Until next time.**

 **Stringdog**


	55. Anniversary

**Here is the 55th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I have mentioned that there will be a special, specific, and set dated oneshot that will be released in March and today is that day, March 31st. The title and idea behind this oneshot is a special one as today marks the 1 year anniversary on this fanfic. When I began this oneshot collection I honestly never expected it to reach the level it has reached. It was just to vent my own love for this show and frustration at the show's love square. I did not expect the show to still not have the reveal at this point, nor did I expect the overwhelming support I have garnered for this series. When I began I intended it to be a simple oneshot collection that I wrote a short (ha short) oneshot ever week while also working on my main fanfic series and I have averaged a oneshot a week. What I did not expect was for this collection to break almost all of my records. As of the upload of this oneshot, this collection has 94,400 views, a record by almost 15k, and 195 reviews, another record, and over 400k words which ranks this series as the 4th longest pure Miraculous Ladybug, and 5th longest including crossovers, fanfic for this amazing TV show, something I never thought I could accomplish. In addition, the support for this series has been overwhelmingly positive, something my writings usually don't get. Now I have more than 50 oneshots still to write thanks to numerous suggestions over the last year and unless those are deemed to be anti-canon (as the planned oneshot for last week was), they will be written. As with the other special oneshots in this series that have marked milestones (mainly 'Gold'), this oneshot is dedicated to all my followers, my favorites, my reviewers, and my suggesters, without y'all this story would not be the success it has become. So sit back and enjoy this special 1 year anniversary oneshot with some throwback and homage to the styles and reveals of the first two oneshots in this series that helped kick start my work. Please enjoy the latest, and special, oneshot in this series, Anniversary.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Anniversary** **\- It is the 3 year anniversary of the arrival of Ladybug and Cat Noir as the defenders of Paris. Now, in order to celebrate the city's heroes, the Mayor of Paris has ordered a new holiday to honor the city's protectors and defenders and of course Ladybug and Cat Noir are present for it. Despite the awkwardness, they attend and share a few words but both notice that one of their friends is missing from their school's contingent who have special front row access to the announcement. Adrien doesn't know why Marinette isn't there while Marinette doesn't know why Adrien isn't there. Can Adrien deduce why Marinette isn't present at the anniversary ceremony? Will Marinette realize all the inconsistencies that surround Adrien after he wasn't present? If so, what will they learn about the other and how will that change their future 3 years after they first met?  
**

* * *

 **Anniversary**

"I officially declare today Ladybug and Cat Noir Day!" Mayor Bourgeois said proudly to the gathered and cheering crowd.

Adrien smiled awkwardly as he waved to the crowd in front of the administrative center of Paris where the Mayor's office was. Once again Paris was honoring him and Ladybug and once again Adrien was uncomfortable with the attention, though he was playing it off as cockily as possible to maintain his image.

First it had been that statue of them, the one that had caused Adrien to get jealous when the sculptor mentioned his own crush on Ladybug and Adrien's reaction caused the man to get akumatized, that the city had built to honor them a few years back. Then there had been the Heroes Day celebration that had become a celebration of them defending Paris in addition to all other heroes in Paris, as well as a day to inspire all Parisians to be heroes in their own rights. Adrien still remembered vividly the events of that day and the emergence of a new Miraculous Holder who was on Hawk Moths side. Now there was a new celebration that was just for him and Ladybug.

This time it was a special day to celebrate the original Miraculous Holders, Ladybug and Cat Noir Day. Adrien had to admit, it was nice to have a day honoring him and the date was well chosen as it was a symbolic day to them, it was the very day that he and Ladybug had gotten their miraculouses and first encountered the akumas and Hawk Moth.

However, it was still uncomfortable to be praised as such, especially when they had not yet stopped Hawk Moth or even found out who he was. Adrien was certain that this was premature and he had a gut feeling that as with the last two times he and Ladybug had been honored, something major was going to happen and normally that meant that something bad was going to happen either today or tomorrow and Adrien had to brace himself for it.

Still, Adrien, as Cat Noir, had been invited to the formal announcement of Ladybug and Cat Noir Day by the Mayor, on behalf of the city of Paris, to be present so he was here. Ladybug was with him as well, standing on the other side of the Mayor and underneath a large banner of herself that hung from the administrative building, just as Adrien stood in front of a banner of Cat Noir. She looked as uncomfortable as he did as she waved to the crowd as well so at least Adrien had company in that regard.

Adrien looked out over the crowd to see who had shown for the celebration. As most of his class, and several teachers, had been akumatized, almost all of his friends were front and center for the ceremony, a privilege for those who had been akumatized along with their family and friends. Also, they were Chloe's classmates so they got the good spots easily, even if Chloe had been against it. However, there was one friend not present making it three members of their class that were not present for the announcement including himself and Lila but no one had expected her to show up. Marinette wasn't present.

Adrien wasn't sure why Marinette wasn't there. She usually was with Alya at all times but for once she wasn't present. It was confusing to Adrien as the rest of the class was all present so he didn't understand why Marinette wasn't here, especially because she was in class the day before and said she was excited for the announcement. Adrien was broken from his thoughts by the Mayor, though the oddity of his friend not being there was still on his mind.

"Three years ago today Paris was hit by its first akuma attack and we were introduced to our heroes Ladybug and Cat Noir." The Mayor continued. "We were also introduced to Hawk Moth, the villain who has plagued our fair city ever since and who has akumatized many citizens, including myself, but who has never succeeded because of the heroic efforts of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Soon our valiant heroes will bring the most wanted man in France to the justice he so richly deserves, we all know that they will do so. Now, on the three-year anniversary of their arrival, however, we exclusively celebrate the achievements and heroism of our heroes and defenders, Ladybug and Cat Noir. So, I ask our heroes to take the stage and share a few words for the citizens of Paris on this special holiday that is dedicated to them. Citizens, I give you Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

"Thank you Mayor for this greatest of honors." Ladybug said nervously as she took the podium but she smiled warmly to the gathered crowd. "It has always been an honor for us to serve Paris and protect her from harm. For the last 3 years Cat Noir and I have been dedicated to stopping akumas, to finding Hawk Moth and capturing him and we want to thank the city of Paris for its continued support for us and our work in protecting Paris from Hawk Moth. With your help, we know that we will capture him and end his reign of terror once and for all."

"Yes, we will bring him and whoever his accomplice is to justice." Adrien said as he took over the podium, raising his voice to be heard over the cheering crowd. He and Ladybug had had a brief chat the night before about what to say and had each decided on a simple, singular statement before leaving so as to keep an eye out for problems and to let Paris enjoy its new holiday. "However, today is a day of celebration and Ladybug and I have a lot of work to do so we will leave you to your well deserved holiday on this, the 3rd anniversary of our arrival and the beginning of our mission to bring Hawk Moth to justice. Thank you Paris, we will always serve to protect you from evil."

Adrien waved once more to the now jubilant crowd before extending his baton and vaulting up to the top of the administrative building. Ladybug followed him with her yo-yo and they silently ran across the roof and leapt away from the cheering crowds that were now celebrating the newest public holiday on Paris' calendar.

"Well that was about as comfortable as expected." Adrien said to Ladybug as soon as they were clear of the area.

"Yeah, it was." Ladybug said though she seemed slighty distracted for some reason. "But it is over and we can get back to work, once Hawk Moth is in chains we can truly celebrate today."

"Agreed." Adrien said with a nod. "Until we have won we shouldn't celebrate a day like this even if it is our anniversary."

"Of the day we met and that's all." Ladybug said with a role of her eyes. "Now I need to get going, I have a lot of work to do. See you tomorrow kitty."

"See you tomorrow bugaboo." Adrien said as Ladybug again rolled her eyes and swung away.

Adrien sighed as he took a moment to watch his love swing away over the rooftops of Paris. One day she would be his and Adrien was never going to give up on her. Adrien knew in his heart that they were destined for one another, he just had to be patient.

Once she was gone, Adrien turned and vaulted his way home. The ceremony had been as uncomfortable as he had expected it would be but he was grateful for his city's support despite 3 years of fighting akumas with no leads on who Hawk Moth was or how to capture him. Still, the one thing that kept bugging him and that he would have to figure out when he got home was a single question from his observations of the crowd; why wasn't Marinette there?

* * *

Adrien sat on his couch and sighed deeply. He had just finished his homework for the week after returning home from his brief appearance as Cat Noir at the ceremony. His father had banned him from going out during the day, despite Adrien's pleas, so Adrien had used it to get ahead of his work. He would tell his friends tomorrow why he wasn't there, it was a good excuse that was both true and protected his identity Now that he was done though, he didn't know what to do. That was when his mind drifted back to that burning question from earlier.

He still couldn't understand why Marinette hadn't been at the ceremony. She was always with their friends at things like this but this time she wasn't. Usually that would mean that her parents were keeping her home but on a day like today Adrien knew that they wouldn't do that to her. Adrien wasn't sure why Marinette wasn't there and it was going to annoy him until he figured it out.

"Plagg, why do you think Marinette wasn't at the ceremony today?" Adrien called out to his kwami hoping that Plagg would be helpful for once. Of course, Adrien's hopes were for naught, again.

"What? I don't know." Plagg said sleepily from the empty container of cheese he was dozing in. Plagg was likely resting before taking on another wheel of Camembert to celebrate a day being named after him, via Adrien. "She was probably working, I don't know, I don't know her."

"Helpful Plagg." Adrien said with another sigh as he leaned back on his couch.

"That's what I'm known for." Plagg called back in a helpful tone that belied his lack of help. "Relax, she was probably busy with something. You are thinking to hard Adrien, eat some cheese and enjoy our special day. I haven't had a holiday named after me since my days in Babylon, though I am not sure it was a honored after I destroyed those Hanging Gardens while celebrating."

"Um ok, I have no idea what to say to that." Adrien said confused at yet another strange comment from his kwami. One day he would have to get Plagg to explain his history to him but right now Adrien had other things on his mind.

"That's what Nebuchadnezzar said after I got wasted on Syrian wine, well at least I think it was wine and of Syrian origin but I was wasted so I don't really know, and demolished his prized gardens with a cataclysm on a dare." Plagg said as he began munching on yet another wheel of Camembert. "Boy was that a night, I did not realize how powerful my abilities were. It was the first of 3 Ancient Wonders that I may or may not have destroyed."

"Whatever you say, just go back to your cheese Plagg if you aren't going to be helpful." Adrien called.

"That's the plan." Plagg called back. "Hello, my fair lady, would you grant me this dance. Fantastic!"

Adrien just shook his head at his kwami's odd behavior. He had more important things to deal with than his eccentric kwami or Plagg's many odd stories, mainly he had to figure out why Marinette hadn't been present at the event today.

It made no sense to Adrien that Marinette wouldn't have been in attendance today. They had all talked about the planned holiday almost exclusively for the week leading up to the day, pretty much ever since the Mayor had announced the anniversary celebration, and how they all couldn't wait for it. They had all been excited for it and they had good reason to be excited.

It was a free holiday and a chance to celebrate Ladybug and Cat Noir and as past akuma victims, Nino and Alya had front and center access, a privilege meant to show that those who had been Hawk Moth's victims stood by those who had saved them and not Hawk Moth. The only one in their class who hadn't taken up the offer was Lila, who had claimed she was traveling with her family but was in fact staying at home and lying about everything as expected. Adrien had a feeling that was because the little liar enjoyed being akumatized and working for Hawk Moth so she wasn't going to go to a celebration of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Marinette had said that she would be there but as Adrien thought back on their interactions over the last week, he realized that she had been guarded and hesitant for some reason. At the time Adrien had just chalked it up to his friend's usual timid nature around him but now he wasn't so sure. Adrien was starting to think that perhaps there was more to Marinette than he had thought before and this was not the first time that Marinette had been hesitant or guarded with her responses to questions regarding Ladybug and Cat Noir.

When they had spoken about akumas, Adrien had realized that Marinette hadn't been akumatized and when he had asked her, his friend had said that she had almost been twice but that the first time Ms. Bustier had calmed her down and that the second time Marinette realized at the last minute that if she let herself be akumatized she would be letting Lila win and she couldn't do that. It had all been quick and deflected the conversation away from why Marinette hadn't been akumatized when just about everyone else they knew had been.

At the time Adrien thought it was because Marinette was guilty about getting Ms. Bustier akumatized and embarrassed about letting Lila get to her again, but now Adrien wasn't so sure. Marinette's reaction coupled with her not appearing at the announcement and ceremony today was too coincidental for Adrien to shrug off. It was as if Marinette was trying to hide something from them but Adrien couldn't think what it was.

Adrien had to try and deduce the truth and he knew it. Marinette was his friend and she was hiding something and Adrien felt that it was eating her up from inside. He had to get to the bottom of it for Marinette's sake if nothing else, and the fact that it would bug him all night if he didn't.

Right now, all Adrien knew was that Marinette was not at the ceremony today, that she had never been akumatized, and that she had deflected the conversation whenever that fact was brought up. Adrien knew he was bright and that the answer was staring him right in the face but for the life of him he didn't know what it was. However, based on the facts he already knew, he had a feeling that it had something to do with Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Another fact bubbled to Adrien's mind as he thought about Marinette not being present today and her connection to Ladybug and Cat Noir, he had never seen her with Ladybug. The Evillustrator incident showed that Ladybug and Marinette knew one another, and the fight with Troublemaker had shown that Ladybug knew the Dupain-Cheng bakery and residence well, but as Adrien thought, he realized that he had never seen Marinette with Ladybug. She had always run off whenever Ladybug was needed and had always appeared right after the akuma had been defeated with some excuse for as why she had missed the action. All this was suspicious to Adrien and he knew that he was on the right track with trying to deduce why Marinette hadn't been present today.

On a hunch Adrien pulled out his phone and went to the Ladyblog, he had the app that Max had created for Alya and the alerts set so that he could follow everything Alya posted about Ladybug. He remembered from back in their first year fighting akumas that Ladybug had dropped a book sometime around the time they had fought Pharaoh. Searching, Adrien pulled up the old post and almost dropped his phone when he played the clip. It was more telling than Adrien could have thought possible.

Alya had correctly pointed out that the book that Ladybug had dropped was the history book from their class. What's more, only their class used it out of all the classes in the entire city that were studying history at the time. Adrien didn't think that this was just a coincidence, there had to be more to it. The book was too specific which meant that Ladybug had to be in his class. Adrien was certain of that and as he was in the class, that meant that it was possible for Ladybug to be in class as well, the book just confirmed it.

That deduction brought him back to the akumatization of his class. It was common knowledge that almost all of his class had been akumatized, mainly because they were in class with Chloe. In fact, everyone but him and Marinette had been akumatized at least once, excluding Heroes Day, with Chloe, Lila, Alya, and Nino all being akumatized into two different villains over the last 3 years. The fact that all but one girl in their class had been akumatized played across Adrien's mind as he thought about the book incident.

The gears in Adrien's head suddenly clicked and everything fell into place in such a rush that Adrien collapsed back and was left gasping on his couch at the realization. The book meant that Ladybug had to be one of the girls in their class, it was just too uncommon a textbook to mean anything else. Then there was the fact that only one girl in his class hadn't been akumatized, the same girl who had been conspicuously absent from the celebration early and who had always been uncomfortable when talking about being akumatized or anything pertaining to who Ladybug actually was.

Marinette had not missed the announcement, she had been there. Only she had been there as Ladybug and not as Marinette. Adrien wasn't 100% certain that he was right but all the deductions he had just made pointed to one person, and only one person, being Ladybug, Marinette.

Adrien was interrupted from his thoughts by an impressively loud belch from Plagg. Turning his head, Adrien saw Plagg lying in a sleepy haze in the second empty wheel of Camembert he had eaten in the last 10 minutes. His kwami was lightly snoring and Adrien had a feeling that Plagg was in a major food coma, the moment he was most vulnerable and pliable. Plagg knew who Ladybug was, he had seen her in that container during the Dark Owl fight, and this might be Adrien's one chance to confirm who his lady was, or at least confirm his suspicions.

"Plagg, is Marinette Ladybug?" Adrien asked at his cheese soaked kwami.

"Marinette, Ladybug, yes." Plagg muttered from his cheese coma. "She Ladybug like you, you like her, Camembert."

"Go back to sleep Plagg." Adrien said with a smirk as Plagg had confirmed his suspicions. Plagg for once listened to him and starting snoring even louder in his improvised bed.

Adrien's deductions had been right. Marinette was indeed Ladybug. That meant that he was in love with Marinette because Adrien knew that he loved the girl behind the mask as much as he loved the girl with the mask. Marinette being Ladybug made a lot of sense now that Adrien thought about it, she was kind, caring, and compassionate just like Ladybug, making Marinette perfect for the role. It also explained why she had never been akumatized or why Marinette never seemed to be in the same place as Ladybug but was always nearby afterwards.

There was a lot of things in Adrien's mind right now and he knew he would have to sleep on it. There was a lot for him to do and he had no idea how to do it but the one thing he did know was who his lady was and that soon he would confront her on it. It was time for them to learn who the other was, it had been 3 years, it was time for all their secrets to come out.

* * *

"Why weren't you there?" Marinette asked the framed photo of Adrien on her desk that she was staring at as she often did when thinking of her crush. "Where were you?"

"Marinette, are you talking to your photo of Adrien again?" Tikki asked her with a note of worry in her voice.

"Yes, but it's not like usual." Marinette said as she continued to look at the picture of her love.

"So, no declarations of love or other ramblings that you usually say to your pictures of Adrien." Tikki teased lightly. "Or plans for your future life together."

"No, not this time." Marinette said shaking her head. "More confusion this time."

"Why are you confused?" Tikki asked a little bit of concern creeping into her voice. "What has Adrien done this time?"

"Its more what hasn't he done this time." Marinette said with a sigh. "Though often he doesn't notice things right in front of him because he is the most adorably oblivious guy in the world, this time it's different."

"What did he not do?" Tikki asked floating over to Marinette's shoulder.

"He didn't show up today at the announcement for Ladybug and Cat Noir Day and I don't know why." Marinette said looking at Tikki. Tikki just blinked in confusion at this so Marinette elaborated a little more to her kwami. "When I was standing with the Mayor and Cat Noir during the formal announcement, I looked out over the crowd where our class was, as the class with the most akumatizations we got front row positions to the announcement. Well that and Chloe being the Mayor's daughter helped get the prime location. Anyway, while I was looking over I couldn't see Adrien, he wasn't there."

"Surely his dad just didn't allow him to attend." Tikki pointed out but Marinette shook her head.

"No that was what I had initially thought but I dismissed it after remembering the week leading up to the celebration after the Mayor announced a day in mine and Cat Noir's honor on the anniversary of our arrival." Marinette said quickly. "Adrien was just as excited as the rest of us and promised that he would be there, his father wouldn't keep him in even if he had to sneak out, Adrien said he would be there. He should have been there with Nino and Alya but he wasn't. It threw me off and I almost missed my cue to speak. I recovered but it took a lot of effort not to show my disappointment or concern while I spoke."

"Well perhaps he tried and couldn't get out." Tikki said. "It wouldn't be the first time that he said he would do everything and his father still denied him the chance to be with his friends."

"No, he would have texted us afterwards and I checked." Marinette said as she looked at the picture of Adrien again. "No message explaining his absence so now I don't know what to think. There has to be more to why he wasn't there."

Something in her gut told her that there was more to Adrien's lack of appearance than his father being overprotective as usual. No, there was a different reason and after 3 years as Ladybug, Marinette had learned to trust her instincts, they had kept her miraculous safe so far and now they would be used to figure this out.

"Marinette, what are you thinking?" Tikki asked breaking Marinette from her thoughts.

"That there is more to Adrien missing the announcement and celebrations today than his father's overprotective nature." Marinette said softly. "I know it. I can't put my finger on it though, I just know that there is something more to it."

"Well why don't you just ask him tomorrow in class." Tikki said simply. "I'm sure he has an explanation for it, he always has one for when he is not present for something or misses an akuma attack or whatever he doesn't show up too."

"Wait, what did you say?" Marinette asked turning to her kwami.

"That Adrien always has an explanation." Tikki answered a look of confusion on her cute little face. "I was just noting that whenever Adrien isn't present for an akuma attack or misses something he always has an explanation for it, that's all."

"You're right Tikki, he always has an explanation." Marinette said with a nod. "Always. And it is almost always the same thing, his father wouldn't let him go or wanted him home right away."

"Marinette, what are you thinking?" Tikki asked with a note of caution in her voice.

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything." Marinette said softly as she turned to gaze at the framed picture of Adrien again. "Just there are a lot of oddities surrounding Adrien. It's not just him not being there today but ever since I have known him, ever since I got my miraculous, has there been a few inconsistencies when it comes Adrien and the miraculous based events in Paris. I never realized it until today."

"What do you mean by inconsistencies?" Tikki asked, worry now clear in the kwami's voice by Marinette ignored it, she was on a role and had to vent it all out and Tikki was the only person present to listen.

"Well today has highlighted it but the main thing is that Adrien and Cat Noir are never together." Marinette said though she felt like she was speaking more to herself than her kwami as she explained the situation vocally. "I had never realized until today when he wasn't present at the ceremony but now that I think about it, he and Cat Noir are never together. Adrien's always nearby in the aftermath of the akuma attacks but only present on those rare occasions when an akuma is directly attacking him but as soon as Adrien is safe, Cat Noir arrives within minutes. Then there is the fact that whenever I have been at Adrien's for an akuma attack, so Simon Says, Volpina, and The Collector, Cat Noir always knows the place better than anyone else and whenever I have had to deal with Adrien there, as Ladybug, Cat Noir isn't present and vice versa. It's as if they are one and the same."

"Um, perhaps you are over thinking this." Tikki said with a lot of worry in her voice. "I'm sure it is just a coincidence."

"No there are no coincidences in our line of work." Marinette said shaking her head. "Not after how directly our class has been targeted by Hawk Moth, beyond the Chloe connection that is. No, I know that I am onto something here."

The idea that Adrien and Cat Noir were one and the same was now firm in Marinette's mind. It was the only possible way to explain the plethora of inconsistencies that Marinette had just realized that surrounded Adrien and Cat Noir. She was surprised that she hadn't seen them before but she hadn't really been looking, she had been distracted by her love for Adrien and how different he was from Cat Noir that she hadn't been able to put two and two together, even after Alya had pointed out how similar the two looked. Their personalities were just too different to make the connection until she looked beyond the surface level and peered deeper into Adrien and his relationship to Cat Noir. This was the only explanation that she could come up with, it had to be true.

"Marinette, Marinette." Tikki was saying and Marinette finally realized that her kwami was trying to talk to her and looked over at the little kwami. "What are you going to do?"

"I, I don't know." Marinette said as she was drawn back from her thoughts. "I am pretty sure I am right and if I am that means that the boy I love loves me back and doesn't know it which is a lot to deal with. I need to confirm it first though just to be sure."

"How are you going to do that?" Tikki asked.

"Simple, I will write a note." Marinette said taking out a heart shaped, pink note card, and signing it Ladybug. "And signing it this time so I don't forget like last time. I am going to tell him that I know the truth and how I feel about him. If he really is Cat Noir, as I now suspect he is, he will come and we can deal with the revelation, if not then he will ignore it. Don't worry, I intend to test him when he arrives, as Ladybug of course, so I can confirm all my suspicions before I reveal myself to him."

"I strongly advise against this." Tikki said as Marinette began writing. "But I see that you can't be dissuaded, I hope this doesn't backfire horribly."

Marinette wasn't listening. She was busy writing her message to Adrien. All she had to do was slip it in his bag before class and then see him the next day at lunch and they could deal with all of this. It would be a day late but it still made for an interesting anniversary of the day that they had received their miraculouses and became Ladybug and Cat Noir.

* * *

Adrien was putting his bag away in his locker and heading to lunch with his friends when he felt something that he was certain hadn't been in there when he had gotten to school. It was in a side pocket of his satchel and it felt like a card or a note of some sort.

"You coming dude?" Nino asked as he closed his locker door next to Adrien. "It's lunchtime, time to eat."

"Go on, I need to text Nathalie and see if there is anything I have forgotten for today." Adrien said waving his friend away. "Or if dad has scheduled a last minute photo shoot again. I will catch up to you at lunch."

"No worries dude, just means more time with my lady." Nino said with a laugh that Adrien shared. Adrien fist-bumped his best friend and then waited for Nino to leave.

Once Nino was gone, Adrien looked around the room to make sure that it was clear. Once he was sure that he was alone, he reached into the side of his bag and pulled out a pink note in the shape of a heart, very much like the unsigned valentine he had received a few years back. Adrien had a feeling he knew who it was from, at least he hoped his feeling was right.

"Not another admirer, I think I'm going to puke." Plagg said as soon as his kwami saw the note. "I'm going back to Camembert, I know that she loves me unconditionally."

Adrien just smiled and shook his head at his kwami's actions as Plagg returned to his bag and began to eat the Camembert there. Opening the note Adrien began reading. The more he read, the larger the smile his smile grew. He was right, though given the fact that it had been slipped into his bag in class his pool of suspects was small and shrank to one when he noticed who it was signed by. Given the deductions he could make based on who had and who hadn't been akumatized in his class, Adrien was certain he knew who had slipped the card into his bag.

 _Cat Noir,_ the note began and it was written in Marinette's hand, or at least it was very close to her hand. It appeared that Adrien had deduced correctly who his lady was. Quickly he read the rest of the note that she had slipped him.

 _I know who you are! I didn't mean to find out but after the Mayor honored us yesterday in that anniversary celebration I noticed that you both were and weren't there. It took a lot of thinking and realizing the multitude of inconsistencies that surrounded you to realize the truth but once it came to me it was obvious who you were under your mask._

 _I know that I am right and that you are Cat Noir. I am ready for you to find out who I am, which is why I am leaving this message for you. I am waiting for you on the roof of the school during lunch. Come as you are so that I know that I am right. Once I am convinced that you are Cat Noir, you will finally see who I am under my mask. I am ready to show you who I am in civilian life.  
_

 _We have much to talk about but know this, I love you. The boy I have been rejecting you for ever since we first met 3 years and one day ago has been you. I was rejecting you because I am in love with you and didn't realize it until I learned who you were under your mask. I know that this is confusing but this is because of the fact that we don't know the other's secret identity, which until now was necessary. That is going to change now, it is time and I am ready._

 _I await you kitty._

 _Your Love,_

 _Ladybug_

Adrien smiled as he put his bag in his locker and closed it, leaving Plagg to silently enjoy his cheese to his heart's content while he dealt with matters of his own heart. He was going to go up and confirm who his lady was. Adrien already knew who she was, but this was the final confirmation to confirm what he was pretty sure he knew. Adrien wasn't going to keep her waiting.

Moving as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion from his classmates, Adrien headed up to the roof of the school. After so many fights in the school, Adrien knew how to get up there without his powers or setting off any alarms and in short order he was on the roof.

That was where he found her. Ladybug was standing in the center of the roof waiting for him. She was in full costume and looked as beautiful as ever. As Adrien approached, he noticed that she was a little nervous, it was time to disarm her and confirm that he knew who she was as well.

"I was right." Ladybug said as Adrien approached her. "You are Cat Noir."

"That I am, Marinette." Adrien said with a smile as Marinette's mouth fell open.

"H-How." Marinette stammered out.

"I deduced it from various factors but the process began when you didn't show up to the announcement yesterday." Adrien said with a shrug. "I thought that you wouldn't miss it so I was surprised when I didn't see you there. From there all it took was the realization that you had never been akumatized, that you and Ladybug were never together in the same place, and a multitude of other small things indicated that you were one and the same. That dropped book from a few years back narrowed the list of people who it could be to our class and that list was further narrowed to just you. The note you gave me today was the last clue to confirm it as it had to come in class which limited the pool to anyone who hadn't been akumatized and that is just you."

"Cleaver kitty." Marinette said as she recovered from her shock. "That was how I realized you were Cat Noir as well, too many inconsistencies surrounding you two to be a coincidence."

"Well, are you going to drop your transformation or am I going to be the only civilian here." Adrien said with a smirk that cause Marinette to blush. "Seeing as we both know the truth now."

"Tikki, spots off." Marinette said with a smile and her transformation fell revealing the truth to Adrien.

"I can't believe that the girl I love has been right in front of me for 3 years and I never noticed." Adrien said as he slowly closed the distanced between them and pulled Marinette into a close embrace.

"Well that girl has been in love with you since then and didn't realize that the feelings were mutual until she realized that you were Cat Noir." Marinette said as she looked up at him, love filling her bluebell eyes.

"Well we are together now and that is all that matters." Adrien said softly. "Silly love square or whatever it is aside, all of our secrets are finally in the open."

"There is still a fair bit that we have to talk about." Marinette said quietly. "This is something so big that we can't really ignore it."

"True but I think there is something we have both been wanting more that we should do first." Adrien said smiling down at Marinette.

"What?" Marinette asked and that was when Adrien kissed her.

Marinette instantly sank into the kiss, as did Adrien. Sure, there was a lot that they would have to talk about in the coming days and weeks, as well as how to tell everyone about them, but that could wait. Right now, the young couple had a moment to themselves and after 3 years of chasing one another and on the anniversary of their arrival in Paris their secrets were finally out, as was their love.

This moment could be taken for them, let the rest of the world wait because right now, Ladybug and Cat Noir were finally together. Right now, was a moment for them.

 **Happy anniversary y'all, thank you for supporting my work for the last year, I still have at least a year's worth of material to write so we are in for another fun year. I know that this oneshot is honoring the one year anniversary of this collection while focusing on a 3 year anniversary for the show but that is more due to the show being on its 3rd season and roughly 3-4 years since it was released, that is why there is a difference if anyone is wondering. As always, I will try to release next week but I have already pushed back one upload for my other active story (that is also still incomplete) for this special one and of course real life is also kicking my ass so I cannot promise a oneshot next week but I will try to average one ever fortnight going forward. There are no more bonus or special oneshots planned as of right now so it is back to the normal list and there are some good looking ones that are in the wings so stay tuned. As always, keep letting me know what you think in your reviews and keep your suggestions coming as we begin the second year of this collection. Until next time.**

 **Stringdog**


	56. Video

**Here is the 56th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. I'm back! Sorry for the long, unannounced hiatus. It has been a stressful time in real life for me between school, finals, and moving apartments, and I have not had the time or willpower to write for any of my stories until everything in my life died down to the point that I could give my work the justice it deserves and my followers the quality of story that they have come to expect from me. Also the long breaks between episodes have sapped my passion but with episodes returning, so is my passion to continue. Fortunately, I have about 50 oneshot ideas to work on so there will be plenty of oneshots to come and I promise to make a better job in publishing more over the summer. This is one of many suggestions from one of my most active followers, without who this story would not be the vast and diverse collection that it has been and who is responsible for the next few oneshots as well. That is all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Video.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Video** **\- Jagged Stone is reviewing his latest concert to see what worked and what didn't. It was during this review that he noticed Marinette's feelings for Adrien. In an attempt to ensure that his favorite fan is happy, Jagged decides to play matchmaker by casting Marinette and Adrien in his latest music video. That way, they will be forced to work together for a while and hopefully Adrien will fall for Marinette, at least that is Jagged's plan. The one catch, the video is a Rock 'n' Roll tribute to Ladybug and Cat Noir and guess who is playing the heroes of Paris; Marinette and Adrien. In a way to avoid their secrets coming out, Marinette and Adrien use their alter egos to persuade Jagged to make one change that they think will protect their identities. What could go wrong?**

* * *

 **Video**

"Alright Fang, let's review the film of our latest concert." Jagged Stone said as he patted his pet crocodile on the head and picked up his remote. "Time to see what did and didn't work."

Fang just wagged his tail happily as Jagged turned the recording of his latest concert in Paris on and reviewed the footage. As a Rock 'n' Roll legend, in France at least as he had never really made an impact outside of the French speaking world, Jagged knew that the key to his success came from knowing what the fans liked. This came from know what worked with his performances and work and ensuring that he continued to stay on top of what his audience wanted, as well as keeping up with any necessary changes in popular trends so long as they didn't affect his image or music. Jagged was willing to make changes with the times so long as his image and core stayed the same, he would never change that no matter what.

That was why Jagged had had Penny set up a special recording for each show that he performed. It was a duel recording from two different angles. One would show his own performance and the other the crowd's reaction at the same time. Then, on his own with Fang afterwards, Jagged would sit back and watch his show and study the crowd's reactions to what he did as Jagged was always so into his music during his performance that he couldn't see what was working and what wasn't during a show. That was why he had these recordings made, so that he would know what worked best and what wasn't as good and could be scrapped from later sets. It was one of the reasons why he had managed to stay on top of his genre for so long, well that and being the best in France of course.

While watching the crowd of screaming fans, Jagged's eyes were drawn to the front row where a bunch of kids from Francoise Dupont High School were gathered, all really enjoying his music. They always had good tickets after what Marinette Dupain-Cheng had done for him with both the album cover and his shades so he always liked watching their reaction as they were a good representation of his key demographic. It was while watching them that he noticed something curious.

Every few minutes, while rocking out, Marinette would glance over at the boy standing next to her. She always had the same look on her face, one of love, well that and a bright red blush on her cheeks whenever she looked at the guy. She was clearly in love with the boy who was with her but judging from his oblivious nature, he didn't realize that Marinette felt that way about him. Clearly, he was a friend and classmate but Marinette wanted more, it was also easy to tell as it was the same boy from the pictures in Marinette's room that Jagged had seen during that disastrous reality TV show appearance he had done a while back.

She had done so much for Jagged that he felt that he should return the favor and try to set her up with the boy she clearly loved, without her knowing that what his goal was of course. It wouldn't be too hard, Jagged knew the boy as well seeing as he was Adrien Agreste after all, the most recognizable teen in Paris that wasn't wearing a costume.

"Well Fang, what do you think?" Jagged asked his happy crocodile. "Should I set up Marinette with Adrien, or at least try to anyway? We owe her so much already, it is the least that we could do for her, help make her happy with the boy that she loves."

All Fang did was wag his tail some more and bob his head enthusiastically, his tongue lolling out as it was want to do when he was happy. Jagged took this as a sign of agreement from his best friend. Now all he needed was Penny's help and she was only a phone call away. Penny picked up on the first ring as she always did when he called, Jagged knew that without her he would be absolutely lost.

"Penny, could you come in here please?" Jagged asked. After her akumatization, he had become less demanding on her and her busy job but Jagged always knew that he could count on her no matter what. "I need your assistance with something."

"Yes Jagged, what do you need help with?" Penny asked as she entered the room Jagged used to look over his concerts, closing the door behind her. while never looking up from her clipboard

"Remember Marinette?" Jagged asked.

"Of course, she has been a great help to us on several occasions." Penny said instantly. "Do you want her to design something new for you again, your next costume perhaps. I know that you want her to be your exclusive designer when she is old enough so this could be a good test of her skills on a larger scale."

"No, she is still in school so we can only use her for small things until she is old enough." Jagged said shaking his head. "I was actually thinking of doing something special for her as a thank you for all the work she has done for us."

"Well you do always invite her to the concerts and give her and her friends the best tickets." Penny pointed out. "Other than paying her royalties, which we do for designs she has done for us, what more do you want to do for her?"

"Those are good gifts and stuff that she more than deserves as she had earned it, but this is something else." Jagged said shaking his head. "I want to try and make her happy and do so in a way that she doesn't know it was me."

"Ah I see, you want to set her up with the boy she is so clearly in love with." Penny said making a note on her notepad. "Adrien, I believe his name is."

"You know me too well." Jagged said with a smile at his assistant, she could always anticipate his needs and wants in a way no one else could. "I want to be able to set them up without them knowing which means that I need to get them alone in a situation that forces them to work closely together for an extended period of time but I am not sure how."

"What about your planned video tribute to Ladybug and Cat Noir." Penny said as she looked through her notes. "The secret one you have been planning for a while to honor them by making a music video of how they stopped you when you and Fang were akumatized."

"Yes, that would work!" Jagged exclaimed. "It is still in the works but I could use them as models for it, I remember Clara saying that they were her initial choices for Ladybug and Cat Noir when she wanted to do a song for our heroes. This way they can be them again. Everything is being done very secretly so that way they won't know what is going on and no one will get in their way. It is the perfect way to get them to spend alone time together with no one to interrupt them."

"That should work." Penny said making a few more notes to herself. "We can push up the schedule for filming and begin in a few days. Let me make the necessary calls and I will get them on board, paid well, and signed to non-disclosure agreements that keep this project a secret. They won't know what is going on until they arrive on the set in a couple of days, providing they say yes which I expect they will."

"Thanks Penny, you're the best and I would be completely lost without you." Jagged said, looking back to the recording that had still be going on during their conversation and not noticing Penny's blush at his compliment. "This will at least sow the seeds needed for their romance to blossom. Marinette is in love with a guy and he is absolutely clueless, I will change that."

"Yes, I can sympathize with her immensely on that front." Penny muttered but Jagged had turned his attention to Fang and not heard her.

"Well Fang, looks like we are going to try and help Marinette with her love problem." Jagged said playing with his happy pet. "Yes, we will, oh yes we will."

"I will get right on it." Penny said as she disappeared out of the room to begin making the necessary calls to set her boss's plan into motion.

Jagged was happy. He was going to honor the heroes of Paris, help his friend Marinette out with her love life and get to wear the cool Guitar Villain costume again while dressing Fang up as a dragon-like creature. It was all going according to plan; nothing could go wrong.

* * *

Marinette nervously entered the warehouse on the outskirts of Paris, not sure what to expect. The other day her parents had told her that an opportunity had come up for her and that seeing as it was the summer holiday and that it was someone the family knew, they had decided to sign her up for it. They hadn't told Marinette anything else as it was a surprise but Marinette trusted her parents and had gone along with it.

When the morning came, she was picked up by a hired car and taken here. Marinette hadn't known what to expect but her parents had assured her that it was ok and she trusted them to do what was best for her. It had been to be something good if her parents had signed off on it.

As soon as she entered the warehouse, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. It was set up for a music video and in the center was Jagged Stone and Fang, the former tuning his guitar. As soon as Marinette entered, Penny came rushing over to her.

"Ah Marinette, good you are here." Penny said as she thrust her clipboard into Marinette's hands and handed her a pen. "I just need you to sign this nondisclosure agreement and then once Adrien gets here, we can explain what is going on."

"A-Adrien?" Marinette asked surprised as she signed the agreement.

It wasn't the first time she had signed one for Penny and she doubted that it would be the last. Marinette knew what to expect from the boilerplate agreement at this point and knew that she was to not mention anything she saw here to anyone until after Jagged gave permission for her to do so.

"Marinette? What are you doing here?" Came the voice that Marinette would always be able to identify.

Turning, Marinette saw Adrien walking into the warehouse. His bodyguard closed the door as soon as Adrien was inside, no doubt staying outside to guard Adrien. All Marinette could do was stand rigid as her crush walked towards her while Penny looked over the agreement that Marinette had just signed to make sure everything was in order.

"Adrien, did Nathalie sort everything out with you?" Penny asked as Adrien walked up to them.

"She had me sign the agreement you faxed he and told me that dad had approved of it yesterday while we were on the way but that's it." Adrien said as he smiled at Marinette who felt her cheeks getting very warm at his dazzling smile. "Nothing more than that."

"Good, Jagged wanted to be the one to tell you the full reason he has hired you two today." Penny said and she turned to go get her boss before either Adrien or Marinette could do more than exchange a confused glance with one another as they followed the slightly haggard assistant deeper into the warehouse.

"Marinette, Adrien, so glad you two could make it." Jagged said as he came over to them, beaming as he spoke before greeting both in the typical French fashion.

"This is an honor Mr. Stone; you are my favorite artist but I am a little confused as to why I am here." Adrien said in his usual measured voice after Jagged's embrace. "You do not normally need the services of model like me."

"I assume that you need another design." Marinette said, it was why she had worked with Jagged in the past after all. "What is it this time? something for the guitar? Fang?"

"Oh no, well not at the moment." Jagged said shaking his head. "Though Fang could use a new collar at some point but not right now. No, I want you two as actors in my new music video, after what Clara told me, you two would be perfect."

"Actors?" Marinette squeaked out; she knew that she had terrible stage freight and a music video meant dancing, which meant coordination, one of Marinette's biggest weaknesses.

"Music video?" Adrien asked, a note of caution in his voice. "You said that you spoke to Clara, does this have something to do with her initial attempt to have a Ladybug and Cat Noir tribute song and video?"

"They said that you were clever." Jagged said with a smile. "You are correct but my video is not like Clara's."

"W-What will it be like?" Marinette asked hesitantly.

She remembered that video and how it had almost revealed her identity to the world, she had a bad feeling that this video would be something similar. Plus the idea of trying to dance with Adrien was going to make her already terrible coordination even worse.

"A Rock 'n' Roll homage to Ladybug and Cat Noir obviously." Jagged said excitedly. "I will play Guitar Villain along with Fang naturally, and you two will be Ladybug and Cat Noir of course. I will rock out while you stop me and my song will be a tribute to our heroes."

"That sounds very…respectful." Adrien said with a hesitation that surprised Marinette. "And I assume hat I am to play Cat Noir?"

"Yup and Marinette will be Ladybug." Jagged said with a nod.

"Um, are you sure?" Marinette asked, her fear was now very high.

For some reason Adrien also looked uncomfortable but that wasn't her concern at the moment, she had a larger worry on her mind. Marinette's mind was frantically trying to find a solution but the only one was a desperate one but one she was willing to argue for if she couldn't come up with any other plan.

"You two are perfect." Jagged said smiling at them. "You both look a little like our heroes, are roughly the same age, roughly the same body shape, and I can tell you would have the necessary chemistry that our heroes have given your friendship."

"The video is a good idea." Marinette began and decided that her only chance to avoid this was her desperate solution. "But how about Adrien and I change roles. I could be Cat Noir and he Ladybug."

"Why?" Jagged asked looking confused at the idea, so did Adrien for that matter but Marinette was more focused on Jagged and not her crush at the moment. "Ladybug is female and Cat Noir male so that is why you two work in those roles."

"Well it's just that it." Marinette said quickly as she tried to find a logical argument to justify her position. "Everyone already knows that but who's to say that Ladybug always has to be female and that Cat Noir always has to be male. Surely it would good to show the people of Paris that I, er I mean Ladybug is for everyone and not just girls if Adrien was to portray Ladybug and if I was to portray Cat Noir then it would show that Cat Noir can be for girls as well as guys."

"Yeah, that works." Adrien said a note of relief in his voice for some reason but that was not Marinette's concern, his agreement helped her though and that was a good sign. "Cat Noir is one cool kitty but he shouldn't just be for the guys. I don't mind playing Ladybug and Marinette would make a great Cat Noir."

"Hmm." Jagged said stroking his beard in thought while Marinette felt her cheeks grow warm at Adrien's complement. "It is an interesting proposal. One I need to think on as the costumes will have to be remade as they are cut for male and female bodies respectively in expectation that you two would agree to be Ladybug and Cat Noir, but today was just rehearsal and not the actual thing. This could be a good thing, something new that no one else has done which would give me another edge on XY. I need to give Fang his scrub down as he is in the video as well, why don't you go home, Penny will sort it out for you, and we can go over this again back here tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Yes, I think that is for the best." Marinette said and Adrien nodded in agreement to the idea.

"This could be revolutionary." Jagged muttered more to himself then to Marinette and Adrien. "Come Fang, we must discuss this in the bath."

Marinette just blinked in confusion as Jagged led his crocodile away. Likely they had a tank or something set aside for the crocodile. That wasn't Marinette's concern, she had to figure out how to persuade Jagged that her idea was the one to do.

Penny showed them out and Adrien bade her goodbye, which caused Marinette to blush again, and trip over her own feet, before he got into his car and was driven home. Marinette wished that she could have spent more time with Adrien but this whole video was going to be a great way to be alone with Adrien, maybe even find a way to explain her feelings for him. Right now however, she had more pressing concerns than her love for Adrien. If that secret came out it could be bad, if her secret as Ladybug came out, then it would be devastating.

It was on the drive home that Marinette had the idea she needed to persuade Jagged of the wisdom of her idea. All she had to do was come up with a convincing lie to explain how Ladybug knew that Marinette had been offered the chance to play her, again.

* * *

Marinette landed on the roof of the warehouse in a crouch and looked around out of habit. She knew that Jagged had to be nearby, he had said as much when he had retired to wash Fang and think so she knew he would be in the area.

It didn't take her long to find him. There was a large trailer out back and attached to it was a large outhouse, as well as a few other smaller trailers that Marinette assumed were for the staff working on the music video. As Marinette approached, she could hear the sounds of splashing water and knew that at least Fang was inside.

"Who's a good boy, who is? You are Fang, you are." Jagged said as Marinette swung in through the open ceiling window, flipped and landed on a support ledge.

"Um ok, I will not be getting this image out of my mind anytime soon." Marinette said as she looked down at a soaking wet Jagged Stone brushing Fang's belly with a large broom while the crocodile lolled on its back in an industrial sized bubble bath, its tongue lolling out and its hind leg twitching in joy.

"Huh?" Jagged said as he looked up at the sound of Marinette's voice and noticed Marinette there. "Ladybug! What are you doing here?"

"I got a message from a loyal fan." Marinette said as she flipped off the ledge and gracefully landed in front of her favorite musician. "Regarding your upcoming music video about me."

"Marinette told you?" Jagged asked confused. "It was supposed to be a surprise; she signed an NDA to not talk about."

"Let's just say that I have my ways and that NDA legally doesn't apply seeing as you are using my likeness without my permission, not that you would do anything about it now would you?" Marinette said with an arched eyebrow.

"No, of course not." Jagged said shaking his head. "I could use your advice on it actually. Marinette, the girl who is playing you, suggested something that took me by surprise."

"That is what she spoke to me about and asked me to relay my opinion on the matter to you." Marinette said with a nod. "I wanted to come personally to tell you that I agree with Marinette's idea and to give you my blessing to let Adrien Agreste play me in your video."

"Really? Are you sure?" Jagged asked. "You are ok with a guy playing you?"

"Yes I am." Marinette said with a bob of her head. "Ladybug and Cat Noir are heroes to everyone; they shouldn't be limited to the genders that we are. This way you will be seen as doing something new while also opening us up to all. Just because this time around Ladybug is female and Cat Noir male, doesn't mean that it might not change in the future. We shouldn't be limited to the genders that we currently are, at least that is how I see it."

"But Ladybug is more feminine and Cat Noir masculine." Jagged pointed out. "It makes more sense given the styles you two have."

"Styles will change over time, as will the genders." Marinette countered. "Who knows who will wield my miraculous in the future, it may not be a woman who succeeds me or a man who succeeds Cat Noir. Providing that we are male and female, given the dichotomy of our powers I feel like both genders have to be represented by us, but that doesn't mean that I always have to be a female and Cat Noir a male. This way you can be ahead of the curve and show that Cat Noir and I are for everyone and not just the genders we represent."

"I see." Jagged said with a nod as he stroked his facial hair. "It might work. Today's teens are more accepting of this kind of thing, certainly more than back in my own youth, and it is them that I must appeal to without sacrificing my own image and this is something that might work. Very well, I will consider it Ladybug. It will delay the production a little as the costumes are cut for the actual genders of you and Cat Noir but they can be redone."

"I would take it as a personal favor to me if you were to do this." Ladybug said with a smile at her favorite musician. "Just know that you have my blessing to do this."

"I will think on it with Fang tonight." Jagged replied. "Thank you for your advice on this, your blessing means a lot as this is a tribute to you and Cat Noir."

Marinette just nodded before she swung her yo-yo and pulled herself out of the warehouse. As soon as she was out, Marinette began running home, she had some designs to work on and this had distracted her from it.

She had done everything she could, hopefully Jagged would be persuaded by her arguments. If not, then her secret was about to be revealed to Adrien, Jagged, Penny, and all the film crew and that would not be good, not good at all.

* * *

"Adrien, are you sure that this is the right course of action to take?" Plagg asked through a mouthful of cheese as Adrien finished his Chinese homework.

"Of course, it is Plagg." Adrien said as he got up. "It is the only way to convince Jagged to accept the change. I need to go to him as Cat Noir and tell him that I am fine with Marinette portraying me, my approval should go a long way in convincing Jagged of this plan of action. I read the NDA and it doesn't prevent me from contacting Cat Noir and anyway, I am Cat Noir so I am technically not breaking it. Also I think there is some exception due to the right to publicity but I have never really looked into that as I do not understand the legality of it."

"Ah a bending of the rules, I approve." Plagg said with a nod. "I have done that countless times in the past, normally to the point of breaking the rules but bending still works for me for now. Fine, if you won't be talked out of this then let's do it. It isn't like a girl hasn't wielded me in the past."

"Really?" Adrien asked confused. "I thought that it had always been a guy that wore the ring."

"The vast majority have been male that is true." Plagg said with a look of remembrance on his little face. "Ladybug and I have to be male and female to maximize our powers as we work in dichotomy. I am destruction, she is creation, we are the Yin and Yang, that is how the Guardian of Magic was able to give us corporeal form after all, so one male and one female maximizes our potential. Doesn't matter who, so long as it is a guy and a girl. Normally the Great Guardian of the Miraculouses chooses a man for me because man by nature, and historically, has been responsible for great destruction while choosing a woman for Ladybug as women are the source of creation for they bear new life and historically have been the creators of society. Course sometimes the roles are reversed, such as when Queen Boadicea wielded me against the Romans, but even warrior women like Joan of Arc got Ladybug and not me. This will be the first time in centuries though, even if it isn't real but only for a music video."

"That is good to know." Adrien said with a thought. "Well, its time. Plagg, claws out!"

In a flash Adrien had transformed into Cat Noir. Without hesitation, Adrien vaulted through the window and into the night.

Adrien had known that this was the best course of action. The only way he could persuade Jagged to change his role in the music video was to persuade him as Cat Noir to allow Marinette to play, well, him.

Adrien had wanted to go right away and try and convince Jagged while he was bathing Fang but he couldn't. He had to do work first. Then there was piano practice and then a Chinese lesson and the homework from said lesson. Only after all of his responsibilities had been fulfilled could Adrien change and confront Jagged. Fortunately Adrien knew that Jagged was still up, he had just posted a video online of him and Fang watching something in his suite at the Grand Paris Hotel so Adrien knew where to find him.

It didn't take long for Adrien to reach the hotel. It wasn't that far from his house, though Adrien still took a circuitous route just in case someone was watching to try and see where Cat Noir lived, he could never be too careful after all.

Adrien didn't waste anytime when he got to the hotel. He landed on the balcony outside Jagged's suite and dove through the open door. Rolling, Adrien popped up to see a very confused Jagged and Fang staring wide eyed at Adrien's unannounced arrival.

"Cat Noir?" Jagged asked, confusion evident in his tone.

"In the fur, well leather like cat suit, but you know what I mean." Adrien said with a cocky smile. "I came here to relay a request to you regarding your upcoming video."

"I am not going to ask how you also found out about my project and given the laws on publicity I can't really do anything about it regardless." Jagged said shaking his head. "Let me guess, Adrien told you about the suggestion to change the genders of Ladybug and Cat Noir and you are here to give me your blessing to allow Marinette Dupain-Cheng to play you. You feel that having a girl play you will make you more accessible to the population of Paris or something like that."

"Err, yes, that is exactly what I was here for." Adrien said blinking, surprised at Jagged's knowledge of the plan. "I feel that it would be good to show that I am available to all of Paris and not just the cool cats, I mean guys. We are the heroes for all of Paris so young girls should be allowed to be Cat Noir and young boys should be Ladybug if they want to be and there shouldn't be any stigma to it. This video of yours, a great honor by the way, could be that vessel to show that we are for all of Paris, not just the genders we happen to be and help remove any stigma that may surround guys wanting to dress as Ladybug or girls dress as Cat Noir though normally the former is more stigmatized than the latter. I also wanted,m as you alluded to earlier, to officially give my blessing to you to cast Marinette as me, she will be a great Cat Noir in your video."

"I see." Jagged said with a thoughtful look on his face. "I have heard a lot of arguments on this and I will consider it. Thank you for coming to me with this Cat Noir. Knowing that you and Ladybug are on board with this will make my decision much easier I think. Your blessing means a lot to me and knowing that this wouldn't dishonor you is a relief because this video is to honor you and Ladybug."

"Ok, well this cat has other things to do tonight." Adrien said a little confused to the reference to Ladybug. "Goodnight Jagged, goodnight Fang."

With that Adrien turned and leapt out of the window and over the balcony before Jagged could respond. Adrien hoped that he had done enough to convince Jagged to let Marinette play him in the video. Otherwise, well it was going to be really awkward when they found out that he was actually Cat Noir for real and not just hired to play him for a music video, again.

* * *

"Thank you two for coming back and being so prompt." Jagged said as Marinette and Adrien entered the warehouse and after he had greeted them. "I have put a lot of thought to your suggestion yesterday and I have decided that this idea of Marinette's could work. If you two want to, we can change your roles. Marinette will play Cat Noir and Adrien Ladybug as you suggested."

"Really!" Marinette said surprised. "That's great! I still want to play Cat Noir."

"And I Ladybug." Adrien said with a wide smile causing Marinette to sigh in relief, she needed him to agree with her so that she could avoid being revealed as Ladybug. "But may I ask, what persuaded you?"

"Ladybug and Cat Noir did." Jagged said simply. "Both of them came to me yesterday. First it was Ladybug while I was still here giving Fang his bath and then it was Cat Noir last night in my suite. They made a good argument and they both gave me their blessing to allow you to play them, the latter was crucial in persuading me as without it it would have felt like I was dishonoring them but if Ladybug and Cat Noir are happy with it then I will allow them to be played by the opposite gender in my music video tribute to them. I am not happy that they knew but, in all honesty, I should have tried to speak to them first if for no other reason then there might be legal implications if they didn't know, so it isn't a problem that they know."

"Well thank you." Marinette said, a little taken aback by the fact that Cat Noir had also come to see Jagged, he had no reason to know about this project but his aid was appreciated in swaying Jagged's mind and she was grateful for it.

"Now that this is sorted out, what do you want us to do?" Adrien asked.

"There are trailers out back for you two." Jagged said, switching back to a business-like tone. "The costumes aren't ready as they have to be remade but your masks are there, as are the directions for the video. Why don't you two go there and review them. Penny and I still need to set up a little more and the director is running a little late so take this time to go over the current ideas I have for this video. This is the lull before the storm, once we start it will be very busy for you. Penny will now show you to the trailers."

Marinette just nodded, as did Adrien. Neither spoke as they followed Jagged's assistant to their assigned trailers. Marinette assumed that Adrien was deep in thought about how to play Ladybug and decided it was best not to try, and fail, to talk to him. Besides, Marinette had a lot to think about herself, including thinking about how to play Cat Noir, though she knew him well enough to do a good job at it at least.

Still, that wasn't the main focus on Marinette's mind. No that was the fact that Cat Noir knew about the video as well. It was still on her mind when Penny opened the door to her changing trailer and Marinette entered. It was a simple affair with nothing more than a mirror, a chair, an empty clothes rack, a Cat Noir mask and a few sheets of paper on the vanity in front of the mirror, and a small bathroom on the corner.

"Marinette, what is on your mind?" Tikki asked floating out of her purse to look at her. "You won, you are going to be Cat Noir, your secret will remain safe. Why do you still look so contemplative?"

"Because I don't understand how Cat Noir knew about all of this as well." Marinette said as she took a seat and put the mask on, it certainly looked odd on her but at least it wasn't a Ladybug mask, no one would confuse her for Cat Noir.

"Why does that matter." Tikki said quickly, almost too quickly but Marinette was too immersed in her thoughts to notice. "You got what you wanted and preserved your secret, that is all that you needed to do and all you need to think about. Drop it and focus on playing Cat Noir and on having fun, this is a great opportunity for you."

"Still I just can't understand how Cat Noir knew and had the presence of mind to go and confront Jagged about the situation in a way that didn't arouse suspicion." Marinette said ignoring Tikki's statement. "Only Adrien and I knew and the NDA meant that we couldn't talk to people. The only way for Cat Noir to know would be if Adrien told him but Adrien would never break an NDA. Also, as far as I know, Adrien doesn't know Cat Noir that well."

"Some questions just weren't meant to be answered." Tikki said simply as she picked up the papers that had been left on the desk for Marinette to look at. "Now come on, you have work to do, Cat Noir."

"Cat Noir…" Marinette muttered still deep in thought about the situation. "How did he know? The only logical way would be if Adrien told him and Adrien wouldn't break the NDA, unless Cat Noir already knew. But the only way to do that Adrien would have to be Cat Noir, which would mean that Adrien loves me as well but that is too far fetched, right? Adrien can't be Cat Noir, could he? I mean..."

"Marinette please stop, this train of thought won't end well." Tikki implored her but it was too late as Marinette's brain made all the necessary connections and came to the only logical conclusion it could come too, at least as far as Marinette knew at that point.

"Adrien is Cat Noir!" Marinette exclaimed as the pieces all fell into place.

She had to confront him; she needed to know the truth. There was so much that came with this revelation and she needed to confirm it right away. Leaping up, stumbling, falling over, getting up again, Marinette charged out of the trailer and fell down the small stairs that lead up to the trailer and landed in a painful heap on the concrete outside the trailer though she ignored the pain. Marinette was in such a rush that she didn't hear Tikki's groan or hear her kwami slam her head into the desk, she had something much more important to do, the truth of which could change everything.

* * *

"How did she know Plagg?" Adrien asked as he sat down at the chair in his trailer and put on the Ladybug mask, looking at himself in the mirror with it. It was an odd look but at least it wouldn't reveal his secret. "How did my lady know about this video and have the presence of mind to confront Jagged about it?"

"Huh? What?" Plagg said, his kwami was too busy making his acquaintance with a Camembert heavy cheese plate that was on the vanity and that all of Adrien's contracts required though only Adrien knew why it was necessary. "Who cares, you got what you wanted. Now if you excuse me, me and madam Camembert have a dinner date."

"Ladybug couldn't have known about the plan unless Marinette told her." Adrien muttered as he leaned back in the chair, ignoring his kwami's cheese related antics as usual. "And I doubt that Marinette would violate an NDA, its not like she hasn't signed them before given how she has worked with Jagged in the past and knows how important and binding they are. No, there is something more to this, I know it."

Plagg didn't respond. Adrien wasn't expecting it. Once Plagg got within smelling range of cheese, Adrien knew that his kwami was a lost cause. That at least allowed Adrien to think on the situation at hand without Plagg distracting him.

The only way for Marinette to tell Ladybug without violating the NDA, and as such the only way for Ladybug to know about the video and the subsequent requested change, would be if Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same. That was the only logical explanation in Adrien's mind at least. Marinette wouldn't violate the NDA so the only way for Ladybug to know would be if she already knew and the only way for that to be the case would be if Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same.

"It has to be the case." Adrien said to himself as he stood up. "Marinette has to be Ladybug, that is the only way. I need to confront her about this, now! The love of my life could very well be Marinette."

Adrien turned and headed out of the trailer. He hadn't heard Marinette in her nearby trailer so Adrien didn't realize that she was about to knock on his door when he opened it and walked straight into her. They tumbled down and landed on the ground in a painful heap with Adrien on top of Marinette in an awkward position. The action was enough that Adrien didn't hear what Plagg muttered behind him.

"At least this time it wasn't my fault."

* * *

Marinette didn't even have the time to squawk before Adrien walked into her. In seconds she was on the ground for the third time in less than a minute. At least this time Adrien was on top of her and that caused Marinette to blush a deeper red than her Ladybug suit and drove the pain of the fall away with the increased adrenaline in her body that always happened when she was this close to the boy she was madly in love with.

"Sorry Marinette." Adrien said as he got off her, blushing as well before he helped her to her feet. He didn't let go of her hand and Marinette had no desire to change that.

"It's ok." Marinette muttered. She noticed that Adrien was also wearing a mask, the Ladybug mask, and that made her smile, it looked good on him.

"Why were you coming to my trailer?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, well, I just realized something and I needed to tell you it." Marinette said quickly knowing that she had to force it out before she lost her nerve. "It's about how Cat Noir knew about Jagged's video."

"Oh well I had to tell you something similar as well." Adrien said looking Marinette in the eye as he spoke, love filling his eyes as he spoke and making her legs go weak at the knees. That look was enough to confirm to Marinette that Adrien had come to the same conclusion about her and that he loved her despite the truth of who Ladybug was under her mask. "It's about how Ladybug knew as well."

"You, you know the truth, don't you." Marinette said, it wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"That you are Ladybug, yes." Adrien said with a smile. "And that I love you still, bugaboo."

"Really?" Marinette asked, she needed confirmation.

"Yes." Adrien said with a smile and Marinette could see the truth in his green eyes.

"I love you too, kitty." Marinette said and before Adrien could process the fact that she knew the truth as well, she rose onto her toes and kissed him on the lips the way she had been wanting to for years.

She felt Adrien melt into her kiss and everything around them disappeared all that mattered to them in that moment was their love for each other. They could deal with the revelations later, for now they had each other and it was all thanks to Jagged's music video and their desire to avoid playing themselves in it. They were so locked into the moment that neither heard the door that led to the warehouse open.

* * *

"See Penny, I knew that this would happen." Jagged said with a smile as he and his assistant watched the new couple share their first moment together. "I can always tell when people are in love, I am such a good matchmaker and friend to Marinette. Now come, we must give the new couple a moment of privacy."

"Of course." Penny said as they turned and reentered the warehouse. "You did a good thing for them, playing their matchmaker."

"I can always tell when a woman likes a guy." Jagged said with a smile as the door closed behind them.

"Yes, you are so observant Jagged." Penny agreed with a sigh in an exasperated tone that Jagged didn't notice.

Jagged was completely oblivious to her loving gaze at him as they returned to the set giving Marinette and Adrien their private moment. They deserved it and Jagged was happy that he could make Marinette happy and ensure that she was with the boy she loved, he just had no idea that his actions had had more than one revelation for the newest couple in Paris. As far as Jagged knew, it was all well that ends well and he did like a happy ending, especially when he was the one who had a hand in creating that ending. Once again, everything was perfect in Paris.

 **Again sorry for the unannounced break, sometimes life catches up with you and things like this have to take a back seat and sorry if I didn't give Jagged the justice he deserves, he isn't easy to write in my opinion. I am going to try and produce a handful of oneshots over the next few weeks. There will be no schedule other than an attempt to get a minimum of 2 a week out to make up for my long hiatus. Once I have gotten back to the one a week average, I will return to my usual schedule as I have the third book in my Avatar/Harry Potter crossover series set to be released on June 18th and despite this story being more successful, that series is still my primary series. Anyway, that is enough for this note. As always, let me know what you think about my work in reviews, let me know the top oneshots so I know what works and what doesn't, and keep the suggestions coming so that soon this story can become the longest by word count for any Miraculous Ladybug story, crossover or normal. Until next time.**

 **Stringdog**


	57. Scarf

**Here is the 57th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. In hopes to make up for my long absence over the last 2 months I will be endeavoring to release at least 3 oneshots this week, all on the shorter side hence why I can do it, and increase my output over the coming weeks until i am back to my average on one oneshot a week. This oneshot is, like so many before it, one of the many diverse and amazing suggestions from one follower of this series and who is responsible for all of the oneshots that will be released this week. That is all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Scarf.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Scarf** **\- During a particularly challenging akuma battle, Cat Noir is forced to use his cataclysm early. normally this wouldn't be a problem but the akuma is a tricky one and manages to prevent Ladybug from using her power and ever manages to handcuff her to Cat Noir. Forced to flee to recharge Cat Noir's miraculous, Ladybug and Cat Noir are too beat up to trust closing their eyes. Instead, Ladybug produces two scarves that she had been working on that day and uses them to blindfold each other. The plan works but Ladybug forgets one thing, the scarf she used on Cat Noir. Will he be able to recognize it? If so, what secrets might that scarf reveal?**

* * *

 **Scarf**

"I will bind you with my chains for none can escape from me for I am Bondage, the greatest escape artist Paris has ever seen, and I will have your miraculouses Ladybug and Cat Noir." The akuma roared at them from the center of the Louvre Square, dressed in what looked like a straight jacket of all things and covered in chains, padlocks, and other restraints that Adrien thought might be handcuffs but could be certain. "Once my chains have ensnared you there will be no escape for only I can escape from them. When you are bound at my feet, I will deliver your miraculouses to Hawk Moth. Afterwards, I will bind all of Paris in my inescapable chains."

"Well I guess we were due for an akuma like this." Adrien said as he and Ladybug landed in the square opposite Bondage. "Certainly one of the stranger ones we have faced. Still, you will always have the key to my heart m'lady."

"No time for that kitty." Ladybug replied as she ran at the akuma, flipping over a chain that had been hurled at her in the process.

"Course but one day I will unlock your love for me." Adrien said as he joined the fight, avoiding a chain that had been aimed at his ankles with ease. "The chains that bind your feelings for me will break one day, of that I am certain."

Adrien didn't have time for anymore banter because their latest akuma fight was on. Bondage was as agile and skilled as any akuma they had faced, graceful in his moves despite appearing to be restrained and festooned with what looked like heavy iron chains. Adrien was constantly flipping and avoiding chains that wrapped around anything they touched and bound it in place with a rigidity that showed the chains' weight and tightness. The few that got close to Adrien he had to deflect with his staff, just as Ladybug was going so with her yo-yo to the ones that were getting a little too close for her comfort.

Then in a split-second Bondage got the upper hand on them for the first time and for once that upper hand was not at Adrien's expense. Bondage had flipped away from Adrien's attack and then caught Ladybug's yo-yo with the end of his latest chain that he was using as a whip instead of throwing it, and used it to wrap around the string where it met the yo-yo. Then Bondage used a mixture of his and Ladybug's momentum to throw her with all his enhanced strength. Adrien watched as his lady was launched with explosive force and flew over the glass pyramid and through a glass window into the main Louvre building.

"Ladybug!" Adrien yelled in anger. He knew that she would be fine but it was still a knee jerk reaction at seeing the woman he loved being hurled like a rag doll through a window at high speed.

"I will deal with her in a moment, once her pet kitty is in chains that is." Bondage cackled and Adrien attacked. "You are nothing without the bug."

Unfortunately, Adrien was blinded by anger and let his skills take a back seat to his determination to win and avenge what had happened to Ladybug despite knowing that she was likely fine. Bondage was expecting this and flipped away from Adrien's powerful strike before he threw a chain that got underneath Adrien's defense and caught him cleanly in the chest with enough force to stop Adrien dead in his tracks and drive the breath from his lungs. As soon as the chain had made contact the magic in it activated and in seconds Adrien was bound neck to ankle in a thick steal chain and fell down to the ground unable to move a muscle.

"I would gloat about how you can't escape my chains for no one can break the chains of Bondage but I have a job to do." Bondage said with a smirk as he crouched down near Adrien and tauntingly patted his cheek. "However, Hawk Moth wants that pretty ring of yours and who am I to deny him it, he did free me from my own chains and allowed me to bind all of Paris for their ignorance of my art as an escapologist. Time to give me your miraculous you mangy alley cat."

"You forgot about one thing." Adrien grunted out from the tight chains around his chest just as Bondage parted the chains just enough to access Adrien's miraculous. "I am the only one who can truly break chains. Cataclysm!"

Adrien's power activated, causing Bondage to yank his hand bank instinctively from the force of pure destruction in Adrien's palm. Adrien instantly touched the chains that bound him and disintegrated them. Before Bondage could react, Adrien spun on his back while still on the ground and took the akuma's legs from under him. Then, as the akuma was horizontal in the air, Adrien gave him a two footed kick and launched the akuma across the courtyard, bouncing along the way and causing the concrete to be dislodged. Adrien finished his move by flipping to his feet and surveying the scene before him.

Bondage was slowly getting to his feet and dusting himself off, a look of hate on his masked face. Adrien was certain that one of the many padlocks on the straitjacket on the akuma's chest had to be the one where the akuma itself was located but he had no idea which one and without his Cataclysm it would be hard to break the right one. Thankfully, Ladybug's Lucky Charm would produce something that would be helpful, so long as she returned in time before Adrien had to flee and recharge.

"Not bad, but that trick won't save you in the end." Bondage spat. "I will succeed where the others have failed. You and Ladybug will give me your miraculouses."

"I think not." Ladybug said as she swung down and landed right next to the akuma but refrained from striking him and Adrien knew why, it was time for his lady to activate her power. "Don't you know, we always win. Luck…"

However, Ladybug didn't get to activate her power, only the second time Adrien had ever seen it happen, the other being when Silencer took her voice. This time it wasn't her voice that was the problem. No, as soon as she had raised her arm, Bondage had struck with a speed that few akumas they had faced had possessed.

Bondage slapped half of a set of handcuffs onto Ladybug's right wrist. Adrien heard Ladybug exclaim a sharp gasp of pain and knew that the cuff was on as tight as it would go and given the magic that an akuma was imbued with, the cuffs were strong enough to hurt Ladybug despite her enhanced durability. The action caused Ladybug to drop her yo-yo and fall to her knees in pain. Instantly Bondage savagely backhanded Ladybug, his hand wrapped in a chain for added force, and sent her sprawling to the concrete, leaving her dazed and stunned at his feet.

"I told you, you cannot escape your Bondage!" Bondage yelled as he produced another chain to bind Ladybug. Adrien had no idea where they were all coming from but then again this was magic that they were dealing with so that explained everything.

"No!" Adrien yelled as he leapt into action and extended his baton with such force that it sent the chain in Bondage's hand flying.

Before the akuma could react, Adrien was on him. A vicious series of body blows, some actually landing, staggered the akuma but likely didn't hurt him that much given an akuma's enhanced abilities and the chains on his chest that served as a kinda ersatz armor. Still it was enough to put Bondage off balance and that was what Adrien needed. With a kick that Adrien put all of his augmented strength into, he sent the akuma flying backwards and through one of the windows of the Louvre and deep into the sprawling museum complex. As he did his ring beeped and Adrien knew he would have to recharge before the final fight but first he had to help his lady. As he bent down to help her up, things went from bad to worse.

As soon as Adrien's left wrist was near Ladybug's cuffed right wrist, the other half of the handcuffs acted on its own and cuffed his left wrist painfully to Ladybug, similar to how they had been cuffed to fight Frightningale but with a lot more pain this time.

"As much as I like being handcuffed to you, we still have an akuma to defeat and I am almost out of charge bugaboo." Adrien said as he helped a still dazed Ladybug to her feet, a nasty looking bruise already developing on her cheek. "So, we are not in a good place at the moment."

"We need to retreat so that you can recharge." Ladybug said as she bent down to pick up her yo-yo while shaking her head clear of the lingering effects from Bondage's attack. "It won't be the first time we have had to trust each other not to peak."

"No, it won't." Adrien said with a smile as they ran together to the edge of the square and Adrien used his baton to extend them to the roof wile carrying Ladybug, the cuffs not hindering them that much given their years of fighting together.

As soon as they were on the roof of the Louvre, Adrien's ring went off again and they knew they had a few minutes at best. As fast as possible, they found a place to hide behind an industrial sized air conditioning unit and sat down to catch their breath from the tough fight they had just engaged in. The cuffs were a problem but one they had to deal with and there was only one way to deal with a magical set of handcuffs, magic.

"I'm still a little rattle from that blow." Ladybug admitted shaking her head again. "I don't know how much I can concentrate on keeping my eyes closed."

"Well we are facing an akuma who has the ability to bind people, do you have any thing that might serve as a blindfold?" Adrien asked. "It might be best to use it right now to ensure that we don't peak. I trust you but as you said, our secrets have to remain a secret."

"Yeah I think I have something." Ladybug said as she opened her yo-yo and reached into it. "Thank god for magic storage and access to what I had on me when I transformed. I can use the yo-yo to access things I had in my purse and bag so long as they were on me when I transformed and I just happened to be working on these today before Bondage struck."

Adrien just blinked as Ladybug pulled out two knitted scarves, both expertly made by someone who clearly knew what she was doing, a new piece of information for Adrien to process regarding his lady. Interestingly, one of the scarves looked very familiar to Adrien, as if he had seen it earlier that very day. However, before Adrien could ponder this, Ladybug gave him the familiar one, a brilliantly green scarf that match his eyes Adrien realized and Adrien pushed the thoughts from his mind due to the pressing nature of the situation at hand.

Together they blindfolded him before Adrien helped, with her directions, Ladybug blindfold herself with the other scarf, a shockingly pink one. It was just in time because as soon as the scarf had been applied, Adrien's ring timed out and he felt his transformation fall and he slumped back against the AC unit they were hiding behind, hoping that the blindfold held and that Bondage didn't find them while he was in his civilian attire.

"Don't speak kitty." Ladybug said from next to him. "Just let your kwami find the food, recharge and change back as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer we have until Bondage finds us. We need to be free so we can take him down once and for all."

"Don't worry Ladybug, I know just where my human keeps my cheese for such a situation." Plagg said in a tired sounding tone. "As well as the backup cheese for when we get home, he can't hide my fair lady Camembert from me. It takes all of my energy not to eat it before we fight an akuma but it is times like this that justify restraint, not that I am known for it if you ask the other kwamis or deities that know, and usually fleece, me."

"Just get the food so that we can get out of these cuffs." Ladybug said and Adrien could sympathize with her exacerbated tone seeing as that's how Plagg made him feel a lot of the time, especially when his kwami started rambling abut things that confused Adrien.

"Right away m'lady." Plagg said and judging from Ladybug's sigh, Adrien had a feeling that Plagg had mocked her in some way, his kwami was incorrigible at times but it was what made Plagg so endearing.

Still, Plagg was true to his word. He quickly flew into Adrien's jacket, found one of the two pieces of cheese that Adrien kept there for him and swallowed it whole judging but the loud gulp and satisfied sigh Adrien heard from his kwami.

"Ah Camembert, she knows how to touch all my buttons so that I am refreshed and ready to go." Plagg said with a smacking of his lips. "Let's beat this akuma!"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled hoping that Ladybug couldn't identify his civilian voice but with the blindfolds Adrien felt confident in that hope.

It was an odd sensation, transforming while blindfolded, but it worked. In seconds Adrien was Cat Noir again and he pulled the scarf down so that it hung around his neck, the knot that had been used to secure it around his eyes keeping it around his neck. Ladybug did the same and it wasn't a moment to soon. As soon as her blindfold was lowered, Bondage landed on the roof right in front of them, a chain whipping the ground at their feet and churning up the roof with the force of the strike.

"Ah my victims are ready to give me their miraculouses, all cuffed and just waiting for me." Bondage said with a twisted smirk. "Now hand them over and this will be easy for you. If not, well then we get to do this the hard way."

"If you haven't realized, we aren't going to just roll over and give them to you." Adrien said with a smirk of his own. "Now Ladybug!"

Before Bondage could react, Adrien and Ladybug rose and instantly flipped backwards over the unit and away from Bondage at the same time, landing on the other side without a falter in their landing. The cuffs were about to be removed but Adrien need the space to work before they fought Bondage again. Thankfully, Ladybug knew him well enough to know what he was planning and reacted accordingly, their synchronization born from years of working together and trusting one another implicitly.

"Good, I prefer the hard way, much more fun." Bondage called from the other side of the AC unit.

"Then come and get us bastard. Cataclysm!" Adrien said and then he touched the cuffs as soon as his power activated, disintegrating them in an instant.

It wasn't a moment too soon. Bondage had flipped over the AC unit while Adrien was activating his power and brought a chain down to bear on them with enough force to crack the roof and scattering Adrien and Ladybug to either side of the vicious blow.

"Distract him Cat Noir." Ladybug called out and Adrien didn't need to be told twice as he swung his extended baton at Bondage's head to get the akuma's attention on him. "Just don't get caught, I need a few seconds."

"It's one of my many talents m'lady." Adrien said as he dodged a chain that was aimed at his chest. "Just be quick."

Bondage snarled and turned to face Adrien. He unleashed a series of swift attacks, his chains acting like whips but Adrien was full recharged and in the right mind for this fight. Every single swipe was either avoided or parried by Adrien's skills with his staff. It was all a distraction and Adrien was waiting for the right moment. It came only seconds later.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled and threw her yo-yo directly above her and then a large item arrived in her hands a second later. "What the hell am I to do with this."

Bondage turned, a twisted snarl on his face, and Adrien saw the item in Ladybug's hands. It was a large pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters in the classic Ladybug print. Adrien smiled; it would do to defeat the akuma with his Cataclysm spent.

"Target the padlocks on his straight jacket." Adrien yelled. "The akuma has to be in one of them. I will hold him off for you."

"Got it, that is what my vision is telling me to do." Ladybug replied. "Get to work Kitty, we have him now!"

Adrien didn't need to be told twice. He instantly engaged Bondage for what he hoped was the last time. The akuma was skilled but with him and Ladybug finally working in tandem, the akuma stood no chance. Bondage tried to engage them both but the entire time Adrien was keeping him occupied with his staff while Ladybug went to work. She kept snapping the bolt cutters on the padlocks on the akuma's straight jacket.

They easily snapped off under the magical bold cutters and kept disintegrating but she wasn't finding the right one. Adrien was starting to tire and he knew that his miraculous would time out soon which could be a problem if Ladybug didn't find the right padlock. Thankfully, on the 6th try, and right after Adrien had avoided a very forceful attack that had been aimed at his head, Ladybug hit the right padlock and the akuma flew out.

Bondage instantly fell to his knees as his power left him and the transformation fell in a purple/black flash of light. That wasn't Adrien's focus though. No that was reserved for Ladybug as she did her thing.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug yelled as she swung the yo-yo and caught the purple/black akuma in a smooth, practiced, motion. She then opened the yo-yo and freed the purified white butterfly that flew out of it. "Bye-bye little butterfly."

Ladybug then picked up the bolt cutters that she had dropped to catch the butterfly. Adrien smiled, it was time to set everything back to the way it was before.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug yelled as she through the bolt cutters into the air. They exploded and a series of magical ladybugs restored everything to normal, including healing the bruise on Ladybug's cheek.

"You alright?" Adrien asked as he helped the young man who had been Bondage to his feet. Adrien recognized the man as one of the street performers who worked along the Seine, an escapologist who never did well with the tourists if Adrien recalled correctly.

"Yeah, er, how did I get here?" The man asked rubbing his head, a look of confusion on his face. "Last thing I remember was people laughing at my performance and calling it not a talent and I was getting angry at them. Then a large purple butterfly arrived and flew into one of my padlocks. I was akumatized, wasn't I?"

"Yup but Cat Noir and I are here to help." Ladybug said as she extended her fist to Adrien to pound in their usual celebration, which he did, it was well deserved after such a difficult akuma battle.

"Pound it."

Just then Adrien's miraculous beeped aggressively. Adrien knew that he had minutes left at best and so did Ladybug.

"Go kitty, I can get our artist back to his station." Ladybug said and then swung away before Adrien could say anything, the sound of her own miraculous beeping lingering as she left.

"Good plan bugaboo." Adrien called after her and then realized that he was still wearing the scarf around his neck, he had completely forgotten about it during the second fight with Bondage. "Wait Ladybug…you're too far away to hear me."

Shrugging, Adrien decided that it was best to just go home given how little time he had left and return the scarf when they next had a patrol. Extending his baton, Adrien vaulted as fast as he could and began heading home.

* * *

"You may have escaped this time Ladybug and Cat Noir." Hawk Moth said as the circular window of his observatory closed and left him in darkness. "Bit one day you will not escape my chains and then your miraculouses will finally be mine."

* * *

A few minutes later Adrien flipped through his window and slumped exhausted onto his sofa just as his transformation fell. Plagg flew out and into a sofa cushion with a loud thump and a muffled grumble from Plagg. His kwami then flopped down onto the sofa and lay on his back in an exhausted heap.

"Camembert, need Camembert, mouth to Camembert resuscitation. Stat!" Plagg groaned and Adrien reached into his jacket and pulled out the second piece of Camembert he kept there for these longer akuma attacks that required multiple transformations.

"Here, eat up Plagg, you earned it." Adrien said tossing the stinky cheese to Plagg and knowing that his kwami would find the strength to catch and eat the cheese, when it came to Camembert, Plagg always found extra reserves. That was confirmed a moment later when Plagg began to nosily eat the cheese with gusto.

"Ah, that hit the spot." Plagg said with a sigh. "My lady does know how to make me happy."

"Good to know, wish that mine could do that but she still doesn't see me the way I see her." Adrien said with a sigh, his eyes closed so he could see Plagg's eye roll at his words or the kwami mutter about them being one and the same as the kwami floated up to hover near Adrien's face.

"Well you now have a scarf to remember her by." Plagg pointed out and Adrien opened his eyes at that. "You are going to have to do something about that by the way."

Looking down, Adrien noticed the scarf was still around his neck having not been part of the transformation to begin with. It was a brilliant shade of green, exactly like his eyes for some reason. It was very familiar to Adrien and he studied it closely for a moment. Adrien knew that he had seen it before, it was a shade of green that was so vibrant and unique that it was hard to forget.

After a few seconds, he realized that it was just like the one that his friend Marinette had been knitting at school earlier. He had seen her with it at lunch and complemented her skill in knitting and Marinette had almost stabbed herself with the needles for some reason that Adrien couldn't figure out. Fortunately, she didn't, though Marinette did manage to fall off the bench she was sitting on and get herself tangled in the yarn for some reason much to everyone's amusement while she blushed in embarrassment and mumbled about it being for a friend. Adrien did hear that she was glad that he liked it, something that confused Adrien but he had dismissed it as Marinette being Marinette and had then helped her clean up the yarn before heading to fencing practice.

Curious, Adrien took the scarf off and looked at it. It was expertly knitted, which was just like Marinette given her skills with clothes. However, it wasn't until he turned over the hem that he saw something that caused him to jump up and drop the scarf in shock. Written in gold stitching underneath the hem of the scarf was an elaborate signature in bright gold thread. The thread spelt one word in cursive. Marinette.

"What Adrien, what is it?" Plagg said looking around frantically at Adrien's reaction. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it I swear! I don't owe countless powerful deities immoral amounts of money, you have to believe me. I had never played Sabaac before, Phantom swore it wasn't that hard and it was made up for some sci-fi series so I assumed that it wasn't that complicated but then he fleeced me for several grand at least, I dunno by that point I was wasted so I'm not sure how much money I lost. That damned ghost knows how to bring out all of my vices in one go, debaucherous Guardian that he is. Remember, I was here all along with you, I was never in the catacombs, what are the catacombs anyway…"

"Er, Plagg, what the hell are you talking about?" Adrien asked as he slumped back down to his sofa and picked up the scarf to look at the signature again, closer this time so that he could confirm its authenticity. It was clearly Marinette's. "I was reacting to the signature on the scarf."

"Oh few, don't worry about it I was just exhausted, I have no idea what I just said." Plagg said a little too quickly. Adrien knew that there was more to it but he had something bigger to deal with than his kwami's occasionally odd behavior and odder statements. "Wait what about the scarf? Didn't Ladybug say that it was something she had been working on before the akuma attacked?"

"Yup, that is exactly what she said." Adrien said as he laid the scarf on the sofa. "And she signed her work, meaning that I know who Ladybug is under her mask now."

"What you do? let me see." Plagg said as he flew over to the scarf and looked at the signature before dispelling Adrien's lingering doubts that Marinette wasn't Ladybug. "Perhaps it is just a coincidence...Merde."

"Yup, it is her isn't it." Adrien said, it was a rhetorical question but Plagg still answered anyway to confirm Adrien's suspicions, Plagg already knew who Ladybug was and his reaction had been confirmation enough to Adrien that Marinette was Ladybug.

"Technically I never told you the truth so I am in the clear, this time, but yes you are right, this scarf confirms it." Plagg said with a sigh. "Looks like the girl you are in love with is Marinette."

"Yes, looks like she is my love." Adrien said with a smile as he thought about it.

In all honesty, the more he thought about, the more he realized that Marinette made a perfect Ladybug. She was kind, compassionate, loyal, fair, and always put others before herself, just like Ladybug did. If anyone Adrien knew deserved to wield the Ladybug Miraculous it was Marinette.

"What are you going to do about this?" Plagg asked. "You know that you weren't supposed to find out the truth about each other."

"True but this was an accident." Adrien said as he rose, picked up the scarf and gently placed it on his desk. "However, now that I know I think it is time to tell Marinette, sounds odd to refer to her as Ladybug but that is the truth, who I am under the mask. It is only fair that she know the truth as well."

"You can't just waltz into school and tell her though, that isn't a good idea." Plagg pointed out. "I should know, there is a whole coffee table book, or crapper book as my friends call it, that catalogs all of my stupid decisions over the millennia. Well actually there is a series of books but I stopped counting after the 17th one was published back during the renaissance."

"True that isn't a good idea." Adrien agreed though ignoring the rest of Plagg's statement as it seemed irrelevant to what Adrien was dealing with right now. It was during Plagg's ramblings that the idea for how to let Marinette know the truth came unbidden to his mind. "However, I have an idea how to make that happen and it will involve me waltzing into school but in a way that only reveals who I am to Marinette. She will have to figure it out on her own just as I did but I will make it easy for her but seeing as I will be wearing the scarf, it shouldn't be too hard for her to figure it out, she is a smart cookie after all."

"Ah subtlety. Not my strong suit." Plagg said shaking his head and heading over to his cheese stash. "A trait I have never been accused of having, usually after I created some massive canyon or destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes. This is your decision to make, I will leave it up to you."

"It will work Plagg don't worry." Adrien said as he sat down at his desk and pulled up his homework. "However, now I have work to do and then hopefully sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day. Tomorrow, everything changes forever."

* * *

Marinette was at her desk making small talk with Alya when Adrien walked into the classroom just before the start of class for the day. Usually this was distraction enough for Marinette but this time there was something different about Adrien, something that drew her eye in a way that caused her heart rate to pick up rapidly and not from love but from a building panic.

Adrien was wearing a very familiar scarf. Marinette could always recognize her work and this was no exception, she knew that vibrantly green scarf anywhere, she had made it for Adrien but it was likely going to go in her chest of presents that she would eventually find the courage to give him.

However, what made her panic was that the last time she had seen it, it had been when she had used it to blindfold Cat Noir the day before. Marinette had realized when she had gotten home that she hadn't gotten the scarf back and hoped that Cat Noir would return it soon because it was her first attempt to make something that matched Adrien's dreamy eyes and she really needed it back in one piece. This was not what she was expecting, or how she was expecting Adrien to get and wear it, and her brain was struggling to handle it.

"Nice scarf Adrien." Alya said breaking Marinette from her panic and forcing her to focus on the conversation. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, someone near and dear to my heart lent it to me yesterday when I really needed it." Adrien said but he was looking at Marinette while he spoke with a soft, knowing, smile at her which was causing Marinette's heart to beat in a way that she was sure would cause it to explode out of her chest. "However, she left before I could return it so I thought that I would wear it today and give it back to her when I had the chance. It is a nice scarf and I really appreciate her work so I felt it was the right thing to do to wear it."

"It is, really goes with your eyes." Alya said with a sideways glance at Marinette. "Almost as if it was made for you by someone who truly loved you and made it especially for you. I just can't think of who would do that for you and who has the skills to create such a high quality scarf."

"I hope that is the case." Adrien replied with a glance of his own at Marinette who was now rigid, unable to move a muscle for fear of causing a scene. "But she has rejected me countless times at this point but still I will persist because love can conquer all."

"Really, I doubt she would now." Alya said with a foxy smirk that would have made Trixx proud. "Right Marinette? What do you think about all of this?"

"I, I, I…" Marinette stammered out but before she could be embarrassed any further Ms. Bustier walked in and called the class to order and thus saving Marinette from any embarrassment, for the moment.

Breathing a sigh of relief Marinette buried herself in her tablet and ignored the knowing look and smirk that Alya was almost certainly giving her. She had heard Adrien and unlike Alya, she had realized that Adrien was saying more than the fact that he liked Marinette. No, he was saying that he knew that Marinette was Ladybug.

There was no doubt in Marinette's mind that that was what Adrien was getting on at. As soon as Adrien had shown up in the scarf Marinette had recognized it as the one that she had been making for him but had been forced to lend to Cat Noir the day before during their battle with Bondage. That fact alone had sent warning bells into Marinette's mind as she had no idea how Adrien had gotten the scarf from Cat Noir other than the fact that Adrien having the scarf was not a good sign.

Then there had been Adrien's statements to Alya before class. Everything had been a veiled, subtle, and with a deeper meaning, one that only Marinette, or more precisely Ladybug, would get. Sure, there was the surface stuff that Adrien was implying, the fact that he knew Marinette had made it and that she was dear to him, things that Alya had clearly picked up on and used to subtly direct Marinette's feelings for Adrien to him as they appeared to be mutual while trying to bring Marinette into the conversation despite Marinette clearly not wanting to be involved. No, there had been a deeper subtlety to Adrien's words though, one that only Marinette was going to get.

Adrien had alluded to receiving the scarf the day before when he really needed it. That alone indicated that he was referring to Cat Noir receiving it when they needed to cover their eyes while Plagg recharged for a second cataclysm and they were too tired to reliably close their eyes so needed the scarves as insurance to prevent peaking. Then Adrien had mentioned that the girl who had given him the scarf had run off before he could return it, something Marinette had done and not realized until this morning when Adrien had showed up wearing said scarf.

All of this pointed to one truth that Marinette found hard to both believe and accept. Adrien, her Adrien, was also Cat Noir. They were so different that it was hard to see them as the same person but Marinette knew that the evidence, some of it by Adrien's own admission, was irrefutable. Adrien was Cat Noir and there was no denying it, Marinette would just have to accept it.

It also meant that Adrien liked her. He had hinted as much earlier but now that Marinette could tell that Adrien was Cat Noir, it was clear that he liked her. Marinette knew that though Adrien hadn't said it, he did imply that he knew that she was Ladybug, wearing the scarf to school and directing his comments to her proved that much, and that he still loved her despite knowing the truth. Cat Noir had always loved Ladybug and deep down, repressed due to her feeling for Adrien that were moot now given the recent revelation, Marinette had always felt that Cat Noir might not still feel the same way if he learned who was beneath the Ladybug mask. It was one of her many insecurities and one that she was able to crush given her love for Adrien but it had been there nonetheless.

That was now besides the point. It was clear that Adrien liked her as much as she liked him, his words and the revelations made that clear to Marinette, now it was just a matter of what to do about it all. By the time the bell for lunch rang, Marinette knew what she had to do.

"Come on Nino, let's go and grab something from that deli nearby and eat in the park." Alya said grabbing her boyfriend's hand as they left the classroom, giving Marinette a pointed look that indicated she had understood at least part of what Adrien had said earlier and that she was giving Marinette the time to talk to Adrien alone about what he had said.

"But what about Adrien and Marinette." Nino said as he was dragged away.

"I want a romantic lunch with my man, they can deal with it." Alya said as they left before looking at Marinette and giving her a wicked grin. "Besides, I know Marinette needs this time without us."

"Huh?" was all Nino could get out before they left.

Marinette didn't say anything, she just waited for the room to clear of everyone but Adrien. Adrien clearly knew that Alya was giving him time with Marinette and stayed behind while the others left. They waited in only slightly awkward silence until the classroom was clear and the door had closed leaving them in privacy.

"Th-that's a n-nice s-scarf A-Adrien." Marinette stuttered out once they were alone. Even knowing the truth, it was hard to talk around him and she silently cursed herself for it.

"It is isn't it." Adrien said with a warm smile that relaxed Marinette a bit. "But then again you should know, you made it."

"Well anyone could have made it." Marinette pointed out. She didn't know why she was denying it when they both knew the truth; it was a just a knee jerk reaction in a vain hope that her secret identity was still a secret from Adrien.

"True but only you have this signature." Adrien said turning over the hem of the scarf to show Marinette her elaborate gold signature that had been stitched into the scarf as a way of letting Adrien know that it had come from her.

"Ah, well, there isn't much point in denying this anymore is there." Marinette asked rhetorically. Even if Cat Noir hadn't had been Adrien, that signature would have given her away in the end anyway, it was her name in a unique style after all.

"No there isn't." Adrien said simply. "We both know the truth."

"That was why you wore the scarf, wasn't it?" Marinette asked realizing that Adrien had done so to ensure that she also knew, it was just the thing Adrien would have done to make sure that they were equal after he found out her secret. "And said what you said. You did that so that I would learn the truth as well."

"Correct." Adrien said with a small nod. "And you figured it out just as I knew you would."

"It wasn't hard to do so." Marinette admitted. "Not after you gave me so much to work with but in a way only I as Ladybug would know."

"So, what now bugaboo?" Adrien asked and for the first time Marinette actually liked the pet name that Cat Noir, that Adrien, used for her.

"Now, well now I am finally ready." Marinette said as she tentatively took Adrien's hand, he did nothing to stop her and she could feel the warmth in his hand, something she had been dreaming about for a long time. "See, I have been rejecting Cat Noir because I am in love with Adrien Agreste but now that I know that you two are one and the same, I can stop rejecting you for you. I am finally ready for that date kitty. Looks like you finally unlocked my love for you after all."

"You have made me one happy kitty." Adrien almost purred out as he pulled Marinette to him and held her close in a way that she could get used to. "I did say that those chains would be broken one day my love. Now, though, any ideas for this first date?"

"Well, I just so happen to have free access to the finest bakery in Paris." Marinette said with a smile at Adrien that finally showed her deep feelings for him. "And it is both nearby and near the park so how about a lunch date in the park with some of the best macaroons in Paris."

"Sounds purrfect, m'lady." Adrien said with an actual purr this time and Marinette just rolled her eyes at the pun, she would never get used to those. "Lead the way, m'lady."

All Marinette could do was smile as she led Adrien out of the classroom and they walked hand in hand to her family's bakery. At last she was going to go on a date with Adrien, she was nervous about it but still happy. All it had taken was for her to find out the truth of who Adrien was and he who she was to bring them together. All it took to make that happen was a goddamned scarf.

 **It's official, this is now the longest non-crossover Miraculous Ladybug fanfic on this website by word count (at least as far as I can tell). When I began this series over a year ago I honestly never expected it to reach this length and it isn't slowing down anytime soon as it is coming up on the all time longest Miraculous story (a Pokemon crossover) and will hopefully be the first fic for this amazing show to exceed half a million words. Anyway, this turned out shorter than I expected but it was a nice sweet one with a little different romantic ending to my usual style. I am not sure if Marinette can access things in her bag unless it is in her purse but until the show contradicts me this is an assumption I am going with for now. The next few oneshots have been outlined and all are expecting to be Standard Class oneshots with one exception that will likely be an Epic Class oneshot and be released sometime next week. There isn't anything else to add here, so as always keep letting me know what you think of this story in your reviews, I read all of them, and keep the suggestions coming. Until next time.**

 **Stringdog**


	58. Cake

**Here is the 58th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. After realizing that the upcoming Epic Class oneshot isn't slated for publication until the 62nd oneshot in this series, and the fact that the next 3 oneshots after this one are all almost certainly going to be Standard Class oneshots, I have decided to try and publish all 3 (59, 60, 61) oneshots this week to make up for my long absence and because a Standard Class oneshot can easily be written and edited in a day. That should bring me close to returning to my average of one oneshot a week, once that average has been reached I will return to my usual schedule of releasing a oneshot every weekend until the actual reveal happens on the show. All of the upcoming oneshots, including this one, have been suggested by the same follower who has contributed more to this series than I could ever accomplish on my own. That's all for this note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Cake.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this series.**

* * *

 **Cake** **\- Heroes Day is once again upon Paris and Cat Noir wants to do something special for Ladybug for it. To do so, he has enlisted the help of the best baker in Paris and his family to make a special cake that he intends to give to Ladybug the day after Heroes Day when they have their own small celebration. Of course, Cat Noir needs to swear the family to secrecy as it is supposed to be a surprise. Surely the Dupain-Cheng's can keep it a secret, right? It's not like giving a cake can cause problems now can it?**

* * *

 **Cake**

Marinette was cleaning up the bakery as closing time approached so that she could be finished as soon as possible once they officially closed. It was the weekend so she was helping out at the bakery given the higher volume of customers and the fact that she didn't have school today. However, the day was almost over which was good because as soon as closing time came and Marinette was finished cleaning she could get upstairs and back to her work on the latest present that she wouldn't have the courage to give Adrien.

Until then though, she had work to do. Marinette was heaving a heavy bag of flour to the back room and once again wishing she could just transform and have the strength to carry it, or even use her Lucky Charm to create something that would make the cleaning go faster, but Tikki would scold her for abusing her power. Marinette knew that she shouldn't abuse her power, she hadn't been great about that on occasion in the past, so she was stuck struggling on her own. It was as she was about to reach the back room where they stored the flower when the bell at the front door rang.

Marinette turned to see who had come in and gasped at the person who walked, or more accurately sauntered, into the bakery. She was so shocked that she dropped the bag of flour she had been holding, which proceeded to explode at her feet and cover her lower half in now ruined flour. In Marinette's defense, she had reason to drop the bag and at least that was that had happened, she could have fallen over and that would have been worse. Marinette had dropped the flour because Cat Noir, and she could tell that it was the real Cat Noir, had just walked into the bakery. She knew it was him by the was he smirked and twirled his baton as if it was nothing.

"W-Welcome to Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie." Marinette stuttered out before she dove behind the counter and stood up to avoid any more embarrassment though that was gone seeing as Cat Noir had clearly seen her drop the flour and the resting coating she had received. "How can I be of service today."

Before Cat Noir could say anything, her parents hurried in from the back room. Clearly, they had heard the bell, her gasp and the sound of the flour being dropped and rushed out to see what was going on.

"Marinette, what happened?" Her father asked in a worried tone as he surveyed the scene.

"I'm sorry Monsieur Dupain but I appear to have startled Marinette by arriving at such a late hour and the fact that it is not common for me to just show up in a store in Paris." Cat Noir said smoothly as he approached the counter, a little hesitant likely after the Were-dad incident. "I didn't mean to cause her to drop the flour and I can reimburse you for the loss of the flour that Marinette spilled as it was my fault."

"Don't be silly Cat Noir." Marinette's mother said kindly. "This isn't the first and won't be the last time that Marinette or any of us dropped a bag of flour. We always make sure that we have a few extra bags as accidents happen, this is a bakery and we do end up wasting a lot of flour."

"That is good to know, I don't want to get Marinette in trouble for something that was my fault." Cat Noir said with a relieved sigh while Marinette just glared at her mother, though she did have a point regarding accidents, normally they were Marinette's fault.

Still, it was sweet of Cat Noir to take the blame and offer to pay, it reminded or of Adrien for some reason. Marinette quickly pushed that thought from her mind, Adrien was so much better than Cat Noir, he could never measure up to the golden haired boy who had stolen Marinette's heart.

"Now how can we help you?" Tom said changing the subject back to the matter at hand and bringing Marinette back to the situation at hand and away from her latest Adrien daydream. "We are about to close so we can't really get you anything fresh…"

"Don't worry, I actually wasn't looking for anything fresh." Cat Noir said quickly with a smile that would disarm anyone who didn't really know him, though again it reminded Marinette of Adrien for some reason. "I was actually looking for a commissioned piece. I came now because I am busy during the day and I wanted to come here when no one else would be around, it is hard for me to do things during the day other than fight akumas. Anyway, there is a special piece that I would like you to make but I can't have anyone else know about it."

"Well we can certainly help you." Sabine said with a kind smile at Cat Noir. "What do you need? It is a busy time for us what with Heroes Day approaching but I am sure we can squeeze your order into what we have to do, it might have to wait until afterward the celebration though."

"That's fine, there isn't a rush but I need a specialty cake made for the day after the upcoming Heroes Day celebration." Cat Noir said. "I know that that is a busy time for the best baker in Paris, fortunately I need this for the day after and I am willing to pay a premium to get it done by then. It has to be the day after but it doesn't need to be done before."

"Of course, anything for one of the heroes of Paris." Tom said and Marinette heard Cat Noir sigh in relief, clearly the whole Were-dad incident was behind them. "What do you want?"

"A personal cake for me and Ladybug." Cat Noir said and Marinette had to duck down and try to clean up the flour to avoid her shock at the request and to avoid doing anything that might give her secret away. That didn't stop her from hearing the rest of Cat Noir's request. "You see, she is my hero as much as she is everyone's and as such, I want to do something special for her. That is why I have come here, to the best in Paris, to ask for a custom cake of Ladybug and me in action. I can pay up front and will collect it the night after Heroes Day before I meet Ladybug. Heroes Day is for Paris, the day after is just for us you see."

"Aw that is sweet of you Cat Noir." Sabine said kindly while Marinette began trying to clean the flour with her bare hands to distract herself from the conversation, a futile effort that only managed in getting even more flour on her. "Well what do you have in mind?"

"This." Cat Noir said and Marinette instinctively looked up and saw her akuma fighting partner pass over a photo to her mother. "I know that your skills can easily replicate this picture. The instructions for the base are on the back, I couldn't really get a good picture of them but I drew it as best I could. It's to show how Ladybug and I always have each other's backs."

"We will try." Tom said as he too looked at the picture and look at it before flipping it over to look at the back for the base instructions. "It is doable and we will not fail the Heroes of Paris in this. We will have it ready in time and a special box to protect it and make it easy to access the cake when it is opened."

"Thank you, how much will it be?" Cat Noir asked. "And please, I am able to pay the full price so don't give me any discounts because of who I am, just treat me like anyone else. I am after all just another citizen of Paris who isn't deserving of any special treatment."

"I see, that is kind of you." Sabine said as she pulled out a book that had their prices for custom jobs such as this, though it was usually wedding and birthday cakes that Marinette's parents made on request the process could be applied to other cakes. "Let's see, based on the expected size so that two people can eat it, the timeline, complexity, etc., it will cost 130 euros."

"Alright, that is worth it for Ladybug." Cat Noir said and Marinette could see him passing over the bills above her, she had never known Cat Noir to have money but then again, they had never needed it when they were transformed so Marinette had never needed to ask about it.

"One more thing." Cat Noir added once Sabine had given him his receipt.

"What?" Tom asked kindly.

"I came this late to ensure that no one else was here as this is a secret project." Cat Noir said quickly. "And I really want this to be a surprise for Ladybug so can I trust you to keep this secret."

"Of course, we have a strict client-baker confidentiality." Tom said seriously. "I promise that we will not mention this to anyone."

"Same." Sabine said before she looked down at Marinette. "Marinette? Can you get up and promise Cat Noir that you won't talk about his custom cake for Ladybug."

"Oh yes, I promise to keep this a secret." Marinette said as she stood up now covered in flour. Seeing as she was Ladybug the secret was not there anymore but she could feign it when the time came.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this." Cat Noir said with a smile before he turned and strolled out of the bakery, calling as he left. "I will be back to pick up the cake when the time comes."

Then the door was closed and Sabine went and turned the open sign over to closed and locked the door officially closing the bakery for the day. While she was doing it, her father passed the picture over to Marinette who looked at it. Marinette smiled, it was a good picture of her and Cat Noir after they had just defeated an akuma that she recalled being one of the harder fights they had had, but then again Alya always did take the best pictures of them. In that moment, Marinette decided to make something special for Cat Noir on that day as well, after all he had planned all of this for her so it was the least she could do to make something for him as well.

"Clean up the flour Marinette." Her father said gently reminding her of the mess she had made and then made worse when she had tried to use cleaning as a distraction from paying attention to Cat Noir's request. "We have work to do on this cake and a lot of other things for Heroes Day."

Marinette just nodded as she went to get the dustpan and brush for the flour from where they kept it under one of the counters. As Marinette was doing this, her parents retired to the back room no doubt to plan the cake that Cat Noir had just paid for.

"How are you going to play this?" Tikki asked as she flew out from her hiding place holding a cookie in her paws. "You are Ladybug so you will know about the cake. Kinda ruins the surprise."

"Don't worry Tikki, I will act, I can do that so long as it is not around Adrien." Marinette said as she began to clean up the flour and not noticing the concerned look on her kwami's face. "Plus, it is a good thing I know because now I can do something for Cat Noir as well, I'm think some some personal macaroons I think as they are my specialty, so it won't be awkward when I don't have anything for him. He is doing this for me, I can do this for him."

"Ok if you are sure." Tikki said with concern as she ate her cookie. "Just be careful Marinette, this could backfire."

"Don't worry, nothing bad will happen." Marinette said with a smile at her kwami. "Trust me."

"I do." Tikki said nuzzling up to Marinette's cheek. "I always do. Now get back to work, there is a lot of flour for you to clean up and plenty of cookies for me to eat."

Marinette just smiled at her kwami and at Tikki's sweet tooth and returned to cleaning up the mess she had made. Marinette was already thinking of what to make Cat Noir to surprise him when he surprised her with the cake. So long as she feigned surprise, there shouldn't be a problem. Marinette knew that she could do it, she was Ladybug after all, what could go wrong?

* * *

"Happy Heroes Day, m'lady." Adrien said to Ladybug as they sat on a rooftop looking over Paris the day after an uneventful Heroes Day compared to the massive fight the year before. "Admittedly a day late but that is why we celebrate today and not on the actual day."

"That's ok, Heroes Day is for Paris, today is for us." Ladybug replied with a sweet smile as she took the box that Adrien had brought her, her smile broadening at the sight of the logo of Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie on the box. "And thank you Cat Noir, this is very sweet of you."

"Hopefully it tastes just as sweet but from this baker I expect that much." Adrien said with a smile of his own at Ladybug. "They are the best bakery in Paris and you deserve only the best."

"I know, I love their products." Ladybug said and put the box down and pulled out one of her own from the same bakery. "Before I open it though, I went to the same bakery and asked them to make some personal macaroons for you. I felt that we could share them but it looks like you had the same idea."

"Really! Great minds often think a like." Adrien said knowing that he had a look of shock on his face at the surprise gift from Ladybug. If what she had gotten him was macaroons then it was almost certainly Marinette's work and there was no one better at making macaroons than his friend Marinette. "I hope their daughter made these; she really is amazing at baking macaroons."

"I asked specially for her." Ladybug said and for some reason was blushing at his complement of Marinette's baking skills. "Its good to see that people are starting to recognize her talents."

"Yeah they are." Adrien said as he opened the box. He was a little confused as he wasn't sure how Ladybug knew that Marinette was good at making macaroons but they did know each other so he assumed that was how. "Soon she will be as good as her parents and then it will truly be a family business."

"That would be nice." Ladybug said as Adrien opened the box. "But I think that is a few years away at best."

Adrien wasn't really listening to Ladybug, he was too focused on what was inside the box that Ladybug had given him. Inside the box was two rows of macaroon, all personalized just for them. One row contained what looked like dark chocolate macaroons with his paw symbol expertly drawn on with green frosting. The other row had red macaroons, likely strawberry or a similar flavor, with dark chocolate chips in it to represent Ladybug's dots. It was perfect and Adrien kicked himself for not thinking of requesting something like this but he knew that the cake was going to be just as good as these macaroons.

"Wow, just wow, these are amazing and so thoughtful." Adrien said still shocked at the gift of macaroons that Ladybug had surprised him with. "If they are even half as delicious as they look then they will be amazing. Thank you, Ladybug, it was really thoughtful of you."

As he had been opening the box and thanking her for her gift, Ladybug had been opening what he had given her. Adrien turned and smiled as Ladybug expertly found the catch that unfolded the whole box, something only people familiar with Marinette's family's bakery knew but seeing as that was almost all of Paris it wasn't much of a secret. As soon as the box's sides fell away, Ladybug gasped at the intricate cake. That made Adrien happy, the cake had turned out perfectly, just as Adrien had expected it would.

It was a baked statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir standing in heroic poses from a picture that they had posed for when Alya had requested it right after they had defeated a particularly tricky akuma. The base was that of a standard cake, just expertly baked by a baking master, except for the frosting. Half, the half under the baked figure of himself, was Ladybug's symbol cut in half, while the half under the baked Ladybug was his symbol cut in half so that both of their symbols made up the base. That was what had been written on the back of the picture and Adrien was pleased it had come out well, it was to symbolize how they always had each other's backs no matter what.

"It really did come out better than I thought it would." Ladybug muttered out loud causing Adrien to look over at her in confusion. There was no way that Ladybug should have known about the cake before he gave it to her but that was what it sounded like she had said.

"M'lady? Did you say something?" Adrien asked hoping he had misheard her. He had wanted this to be a surprised for her but it seemed that he had failed in that goal.

"What? Merde." Ladybug swore before sighing and confirmed what she had muttered was what Adrien had thought he had heard. "I, er, I was saying that this cake came out better than I thought it would."

"How did you know about the cake?" He asked her.

Adrien wasn't upset he was just curious as he didn't think Marinette or her parents would have told her about it. He was disappointed in them but he wasn't going to take it out on Ladybug, he would just have to find another way to surprise her.

"Oh, well, you see, I am friends with Marinette and she asked for my help on the base seeing as I know what my symbol looks like." Ladybug said quickly, a little too quickly in fact. "And well, I couldn't say no as it was my symbol. I just didn't expect the cake to turn out so well that's all but the Dupain-Cheng's are the best bakers in Paris for a reason."

"Really?" Adrien asked. "Because I know Marinette personally and I know that when she makes a promise, she is true to her word and never breaks it, even if she fails in trying to live up to that promise. So I can't understand why she would tell you, the same with her parents."

"Um…" Was all Ladybug could say before she fell silent, there really wasn't much she could say to that.

Adrien had a feeling that it might be out of shame or guilt but the silence was welcome because he needed a moment to think about what he had just heard. There was a lot to think about that was conflicting with what Adrien knew about both Ladybug and Marinette and he needed a moment to process it all.

Adrien knew that Marinette wouldn't tell anyone if she made a promise to keep something secret. After 3 plus years of knowing Marinette and seeing her become one of his closest friends he knew that she was always true to her word, it was part of the reason why he had chosen her family's bakery to make the cake he had in mind, other than their skill and the fact that he wanted to support Marinette. That begged the question; how did Ladybug know?

Adrien also knew Ladybug well; she was as close to him as anyone could be seeing as he was in love with her. One thing that he had known from her, mainly because of her constant rejections of him, had been that Ladybug didn't lie. She was always truthful with him about her love for another when she kept turning him down, so he believed her that Marinette had told her but he also knew that Marinette wouldn't have broken her promise. This whole situation was a major contradiction and Adrien was determined to figure it out before he said anything more to Ladybug.

As Adrien thought about the certainties that he knew about both Marinette and Ladybug, Adrien began to see the only possible explanation for it all. It would explain how Ladybug knew about the cake and how she didn't lie about Marinette telling her, as well as how Marinette was able to tell Ladybug without technically breaking her promise. It was really the only explanation that made sense.

Adrien wanted to laugh out loud at the situation, it was just his luck for this to be the case if he was right about his conclusions. However, the more he thought about it, the more it had to be true. There was no other way that what Adrien knew about his friends that could explain how Ladybug knew and why Marinette told her without either certainties Adrien knew about them being proven wrong. That explanation was almost too absurd to be true but Adrien couldn't see any other explanation that explained everything he knew about the current situation.

That explanation was simple; Marinette was Ladybug.

It was the only thing that made sense. Now all Adrien had to do was confront Ladybug and there was only one way he could think of doing so. He had to confront her right away and in such a manner that would force her to admit the truth. Knowing what he had to say, Adrien turned to Ladybug and opened his mouth…

* * *

Marinette had been thrown for a loop by Cat Noir's reference to her ability to keep a promise. True she had put her foot in her mouth by admitting she had known about the cake but in her defense, she hadn't broken her promise because there was no way that she couldn't avoid knowing about it from the start and the fact that she was Ladybug had helped perfect the base of the cake. No, Marinette knew that regarding keeping her promise to not tell anyone about the cake she was in the clear, it was the fact that Cat Noir knew about that dedication to keeping her word that confused her.

It wasn't something that Cat Noir knew about her. True she was similar to her civilian self when she was Ladybug but the idea of keeping promises was not something that she and Cat Noir really did, they had a mission to do so they seldom did anything outside of their mission to defeat akumas and Hawk Moth came up.

No, only her close friends, only those who she made promises to knew about how Marinette always kept her word or at the very least tried as hard as she could to do so no matter how impossible it was to accomplish, such as her macaroon promise a year ago. The only people who knew that she kept her word were Alya, Nino, and … Adrien.

It was the thought of her love that had caused her to pause and consider everything that Cat Noir had said about her being able to keep promises. Only three people outside of her immediate family knew that Marinette always kept her promises or failed spectacularly trying to keep them. Two of them were clearly not here, she already knew that Alya and Nino were not Cat Noir. However, there was no proof that Adrien wasn't Cat Noir, at least nothing conclusive, and the fact that Cat Noir had known that she kept her promises could only point to one thing, something that Marinette had never considered and something that shook her to her core given everything that a revelation like that meant going forward.

Adrien was Cat Noir.

It was the only logical explanation. Marinette didn't know if she wanted it to be true as there were a lot of conflicting emotions surround the possible revelation that Adrien and Cat Noir were one and the same. Still, Marinette had to find out the truth and she would just have to be blunt about it.

Turning to Cat Noir, Marinette opened her mouth just as he was about to say something. What they said was exactly the same and had the same reaction of causing their blood to run cold as soon as they heard the words the other spoke.

"I know who you are."

 **I am not sure how well this reveal has worked, though I do like the ending as I enjoy mixing them up for y'all, but it was a sweet little oneshot I think. The next oneshot should hopefully be out tomorrow or the day after as they are set to be on the shorter side, with some more diverse concepts to keep this series as fresh as possible. Otherwise, there isn't much to add at this point. As always keep the reviews coming, they are what motivate me to continue with this collection, and all suggestions will be considered and appreciated, though some may end up being placed in the eventual sequel series 'Miraculous: Continuations of Ladybug & Cat Noir', which will be released once this series is over whenever the actual reveal happens (I have given ZAG countless suggestions for that). Until next time.**

 **Stringdog**


	59. Somniloquy

**Here is the 59th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. This is a nice, short, Basic Class oneshot, though if you don't understand the purpose of the title (I wouldn't either if I had seen the word before I wrote this oneshot), it will be made clear at the end but it is the first oneshot which probably isn't clear from the title what may or may not be the core of the reveal. As I have said, this is one of many oneshots that I cannot take credit for coming up with, I have one follower who has been the key to this series's size and range to thank for this idea. That is all for this ante chapter note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Somniloquy.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

* * *

 **Somniloquy** **\- After another long night of akuma fighting and catching up on work missed due to akuma fighting, Marinette and Adrien are exhausted. The next day, during lunch, the weather is just right for a nice nap after lunch and they take full advantage of it. Of course, Alya has made sure that the pair are next to each other and as soon as something cute happens Alya begins to record it to show them later. What Alya doesn't know is that she has recorded something only two people would be able to identify and those two people aren't wearing their masks. It's going to make for a fun playback.**

* * *

 **Somniloquy**

Alya, Marinette, Adrien and Nino were all sitting in a corner of the courtyard of school at lunch enjoying the nice spring weather and so that they could all rest against a wall and still see one another. They had decided to eat outside today because the weather was nice and they had been inside all morning so they needed some fresh air. It was a pleasant, warm, day with a light breeze that would make anyone sleepy, especially if they were already sleepy.

Such was the case for Marinette and Adrien. Alya had noticed this when her best friend had arrived 10 minutes late in classic Marinette fashion by barging through the door and ending up in heap at Ms Bustier's feet while apologizing for oversleeping. By the end of the first class of the day Marinette was already yawning and struggling to stay awake, Alya had to keep poking her to make sure that Marinette didn't fall asleep in class.

Alya never understood why Marinette was constantly tired but she assumed it must be the mixture of school, homework, helping her parents in the bakery, her designs and fantasizing about Adrien that kept Marinette up late. Alya knew that her best friend needed a break, if for no other reason then to catch up on sleep, but that would have to wait until the summer holiday. Until then, Alya was going to have to deal with her best friend's strange habit of not sleeping during the week. Marinette being tired was something Alya was used too, Adrien was a different story.

Alya didn't know why Adrien was also tired, stifling a yawn every few minutes while he ate and not talking much, well less than usual at least. Normally Adrien wasn't tired but today he seemed exhausted and Alya had no idea why. She would have to ask Nino later if he knew, or just wait for Nino to ask whichever came first. For now, it was lunch break and the four friends were enjoying it together.

They were all sitting on the courtyard floor as they ate as all the benches were taken given the weather and the corner provided them with some privacy. Alya had deliberately sat next to Nino, he was her boyfriend so it made sense, and it forced Marinette to sit next to Adrien. As always, Marinette had blushed at the idea, fallen down rather than sat down, and managed to miss her mouth with both her croissant and her juice much to Alya's amusement. Still it was a nice lunch before classes resumed for the afternoon.

"Dude, why are you so tired?" Nino suddenly asked when Adrien let out a massive yawn as he finished his food. Looked like Nino asking Adrien why he was tired was what had come first. "Usually you are pretty alert at school."

"Yeah sorry, I have been falling behind with piano and Chinese what with extra fencing practice to catch up to Kagami." Adrien said as he put his lunch remains away with a tired smile at Nino. "So dad made sure I played the piano for him until it was up to his standards and then I had to do extra Chinese homework to do to catch up. You know how my dad is, everything has to be perfect for him. It was really late by the time I got to sleep so I only got a few hours of sleep and now I am exhausted. Going to try and get an early night tonight but I doubt that will the case seeing as I have fencing tonight and that might not go well given how tired I am."

The statement seemed to exhaust Adrien as he leaned against the wall in the corner they were sitting in and closed his eyes with a sigh of relief at the break. In seconds he was dozing and Alya decided to leave him to take a nap for a few minutes before the start of afternoon classes. Though she did smile at how Marinette glanced at Adrien's sleeping form and blushed slightly at the sight of Adrien napping next to her.

"What about you Marinette?" Alya asked her best friend as Marinette put a macaroon into her mouth.

"W-What about me?" Marinette asked with an audible gulp of a barely chewed macaroon.

"Why are you tired this time?" Alya asked. "Don't think I haven't noticed you yawning and barely keeping your eyes open all day. What kept you up this time? Gifts for Adrien? Work? Baking? Dreaming of Adrien?"

"Alya!" Marinette gasped with a wide-eyed glance at Adrien who seemed to still be asleep.

"It is true but come on, what kept you up this time?" Alya asked, only slightly teasing her best friend and her obvious crush on Adrien, well obvious to everyone but Adrien.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Marinette said quickly still a little flushed from Alya's teasing. "I was catching up on last week's homework that I missed and it took all night and I am still only up to two days ago. By the time I fell asleep it was morning and my alarm went of a few minutes later. I can barely keep my eyes open at this point, I dunno how I will be able to watch the fencing later."

"Sounds like the usual." Alya said with a nod, she didn't know how Marinette kept getting behind with her work but Alya would help her best friend if Marinette ever asked. There was one thing she could suggest now. "Well I know you looked at Adrien, why don't you take a nap like him. That way you will have the energy to watch Adrien fencing after class."

As if to emphasize Alya's point, Adrien muttered in his sleep. It was inaudible but it was still a sign of how out of its Adrien was. As if on cue, Marinette yawned widely and leaned back against the wall.

"I guess I could rest my eyes for a few…" Marinette began as she closed her eyes and was out of it before she even finished her sentence.

Alya just smiled at this. Marinette and Adrien needed this nap, it wouldn't do much in the long run but it should recharge them a little, probably enough to get through the afternoon. They looked so peaceful sleeping that Alya didn't want to disturb her friends rest and just decided to enjoy the peace and quiet of lunch. Who knows, something cute and worth taking a picture or video might happen and Alya was the fasted draw with a phone in the school.

It happened slowly. Alya watched as Marinette, almost as if she wanted to do it, slump to the side until her head was on Adrien's shoulder, the latter already resting against the corner of the wall. Once Marinette was resting on Adrien's shoulder, she gave a small, contented, sigh and continued to sleep. It was so cute that Alya had to get her phone out and record the scene so that Marinette could enjoy it when she woke up and recovered from her embarrassment. Alya had to raise her hand to stop Nino from saying anything that might ruin the scene, it had to be perfect so that it remained as cute as it was right now. That was when Adrien began speaking.

"Hmm, m'lady, I didn't know you cared this much." Adrien muttered with a smile as soon as Marinette's head was on his shoulder. Alya had no idea what Adrien was dreaming about but it was so cute that he had begun to talk as soon Marinette's head was on his shoulder, as if they were meant for one another.

"Shh kitty, you know I can't." Marinette muttered back. "I like someone else. Now focus. Akuma. Dangerous. Attack. Save Paris."

"Right, this nighttime akuma is annoying." Adrien muttered back with a note of dejection. "I'm going to be so tired in the morning, damned Hawk Moth striking at this late hour. Does he ever sleep?"

"Yeah, let's end this quick, I have other things to do and this is making be fall even farther behind then I already am." Marinette replied softly, Alya was straining to hear this but she was recording it all. It was so sweet that Marinette and Adrien were having a conversation together while they slept and the fact that they were pretending to be Ladybug and Cat Noir made it even cuter. "Just avoid him kitty, don't want to be affected by his ability to put people into their worst nightmares from which they will never wake up unless we stop him."

"Right bugaboo." Adrien replied. "Don't worry, we will win, we always win."

Before Marinette could respond the bell to signal the end of lunch went and the sound startled Adrien and Marinette back to world of the conscious. Marinette, as Alya was expecting, leapt almost a foot in the air and landed on top of Adrien. She was blushing furiously as she tried to get off him. Adrien just smiled kindly and gently helped Marinette off him before standing and helping Marinette to her feet as she was in no state to coordinate her body.

"Sorry." Marinette mutter blushing even deeper as Adrien let go of her hands. "I must have dozed off."

"Same." Adrien said as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. "I had a very strange dream."

"Me too." Marinette agreed as she rubbed her eyes. "I really need a good night's sleep."

"One day." Adrien said as he picked up both his and Marinette's bags and handed Marinette hers, Marinette still blushing deeply. "Until then we have class."

"Yes, and I have something to show you after class." Alya said as they all began walking towards their classroom. "But that can wait."

Marinette and Adrien looked a little worried, Marinette more than Adrien, but Alya just laughed and pushed them towards the classroom. The unknowing would keep them on edge and awake for the rest of the afternoon.

It had been a really sweet and cute sight, Marinette and Adrien sleeping together and talking to each other in their sleep. Alya couldn't wait to show them the recording she had of them, hopefully it would make them realize how perfect for each other they were. Alya had no idea how right she would be.

* * *

"Alright guys I have something to show you." Alya said with a wicked smile at Marinette and Adrien as they left class. "And I know that you will like it."

They had a break before Adrien had to go to fencing and it seemed Alya was going to use it to show them something. Marinette was nervous. She had no idea what Alya was going to show them but her gut told her that it likely had something to do with her nap earlier, a nap she had feeling she had taken while resting on Adrien. That wasn't a bad thing in Marinette's mind, it was just embarrassing that it had happened, especially in front of their friends and Alya's phone. If anything had happened, Marinette was certain that her best friend would have recorded it.

"What is it?" Adrien asked in a slightly nervous tone as Alya led them over to one of the benches in the courtyard, pulling out her phone as they went. As soon as Marinette saw the phone, she knew that it was going to be a recording of them earlier and steeled herself for the embarrassment that she was certain was about to come.

"Well you two took a nap together and I just couldn't resist recording it." Alya said as she held her phone in front of them and hit the play button. "I know that you two would do this if it was Nino and me. I had to, you two just looked so cute and peaceful together."

Marinette watched herself resting on Adrien's shoulder. She knew her cheeks were burning from embarrassment and that embarrassment was why she couldn't look at Adrien to see his reaction, it was also why she also couldn't look away. It was nice to see herself resting on Adrien, a taste of what Marinette feared might never happen and she was grateful that Alya had recorded this, she would watch this at home again when she was less embarrassed and not around Adrien so as to relieve the moment. Then the talking started and her face went from red to white as the blood drained from her face.

There was no hiding what her and Adrien were talking about. They were talking about the latest akuma attack that had struck Paris at 3 in the morning while Marinette had been up catching up on homework, it had been why she had been exhausted today seeing as the akuma had distracted her from her work and she had been forced to go back to the work after defeating it. The result, no sleep for Marinette.

This particular akuma had had the ability to put people to sleep and trap them in their worst nightmares. It was similar to Sandboy but where Sandboy brought nightmares to life and had them terrorize the citizens of Paris, this akuma put the person to sleep and trapped them in their nightmares until the akuma was defeated. They had been lucky to defeat it without being hit by the akuma's power. If that had happened they would have lost.

That conversation alone was enlightening because the attack hadn't been publicized. It had been in the dead of night and the only people who knew of it were herself, Cat Noir, Hawk Moth and the dude who had been akumatized, though plenty of people likely remembered the nightmares that they had unless the magical ladybugs had made them forget it after the fight. Regardless, the fact that only four people knew about the akuma attack was bad but then there was what Adrien had been saying. That solidified any lingering doubts in Marinette's mind.

Adrien had been using the two pet names that Cat Noir used for Ladybug. Names that only Cat Noir and Ladybug knew and using them in ways that only Cat Noir would use them. Between the pet names and the conversation, Marinette had no doubt that Adrien and Cat Noir were one and the same.

This wasn't good. Marinette knew that there was a lot to deal with but the main thing, other than the possibility of Adrien actually liking her back which was something that Marinette had no idea how to deal with, was the fact that Adrien would figure out the truth as well. The only saving grace was that Alya clearly didn't realize what they had said was giving themselves away, she just thought it was cute, and Marinette intended to keep it that way.

All she needed was to talk to Adrien, but first she had to make sure that he knew as well. That was why she was now looking at him as he watched the recording, a look of consternation on his handsome face, and knowing that soon he would turn and look at her. Things were about to change forever.

* * *

Adrien watched the video and felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He had given himself away, that was bad, but under normal circumstances no one would have realized it. However, these weren't normal circumstances.

Marinette was Ladybug. Adrien was certain of it. Only Ladybug would react that way to his pet names and flirting, only Ladybug would know about the akuma they had fought the night before and the details of his power, and only Ladybug would be able to identify Adrien as Cat Noir from what he said. There was no doubt that Marinette was Ladybug and no doubt in his mind that she knew the truth as well.

There were other things to deal with as well, mainly the fact that Adrien was in love with Marinette and yet she was in love with someone else. That was going to make things awkward between them but it was a bridge that they would have to cross when they came to it. The only saving grace was that Alya and Nino appeared to not know the deeper implications of his and Marinette's sleep talking, they just thought it was a cute moment, Adrien could live with that.

Still, he had to confirm his suspicions and turned to looked at Marinette. She was looking at him as well and as soon as their eyes met, he knew both that she knew the truth and that she had realized that he had figured it out as well. This had just changed forever.

 **So to anyone who doesn't know, somniloquy is the technical term for sleep-talking. As it is one word it fitted the title of this oneshot best because I only use one word titles to give a taste of what the reveal will be centered on, it is in fact referring to what caused the reveal, and it is a kinda cool new word that I learned for this oneshot that I wanted to share with y'all. This is the first and possibly (I need to double check) oneshot in which the title is not used within the oneshot itself, or at the very least doesn't clearly show where the oneshot is going. I dunno if this has worked well or not but I do need to keep this series fresh and varied so I may use similar references in the future. The next two oneshots are also expected to be Basic Class oneshots that are about as long as this one and I should have them out to you by Sunday at the very latest, Friday at the earliest. That is all for this oneshot, as always please review as my ego always enjoys a good inflating, and keep the suggestions coming. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


	60. Locker

**Here is the 60th oneshot in my Miraculous Revelations series. When I started writing this series I honestly didn't expect to reach 10 oneshots, let alone 60 but not only have I reached this number but there are still 50 more oneshots in my backlog so this series will continue going for at least another year, and given the time it is taking for the damned reveal to actually occur I may just get all 50 of those oneshots out before the show has the reveal itself. Anyway, this nice and short oneshot was suggested by the true hero of this series, I am just the one who gives his/hers ideas form as best I can. That is all for this author's note, sit back and enjoy the latest oneshot in this series, Locker.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to this show.**

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 **Locker** **\- Yet again an akuma has attacked Marinette's high school and yet again it was Chloe's fault. Marinette needs to get to the bathroom and change so she can meet up with Cat Noir and fight the akuma. However, she runs into Cat Noir as he leaves the locker room. At least he is nearby, that is a good sign. All Marinette has to do is go into the locker room and change into Ladybug. However, what she sees in the locker room changes everything.**

* * *

 **Locker**

The explosion that violently rocked the school was followed by a yell of anger and pure rage. The yell was two words, two words that Marinette was used to hearing akumas yell, though admittedly it hadn't been as frequent recently which was a good sign.

"Chloe Bourgeois!"

"Great, what have you done this time Chloe." Marinette muttered to herself as she began to run towards the locker room and the girl's bathroom there. "Not that you are going to admit to it or apologize mind you. This is another mess that I have to clean up for you, and likely save you from as well."

Marinette knew that she was talking to herself and that the question was rhetorical but she had to vent. Chloe had likely done something that had upset another student and gotten whoever it was akumatized and now another akuma was seeking probably justifiable vengeance against Chloe. Regardless, Chloe would never be able to admit to any wrongdoing. That didn't matter, Marinette was a hero and being a hero meant saving everyone, no matter how you felt about them. That was why she was going to save Chloe, again.

"I should do a frequently saved rewards club or something." Marinette muttered to herself with a laugh. "Get rescued 10 times and win a signed photo, Chloe would have quite a few by now."

Jokes aside, Marinette knew that she had to get her game face on and get to work defeating the akuma. She was just about to reach the locker room when she heard another phrase that she had heard a few times before. Again, she knew what would happen when that phrase was uttered.

"Plagg, claws out!"

The phrase was followed by a flash of green light visible through the cracks in the door. A moment later, Cat Noir ran out of the locker room his baton in hand as he prepared for another akuma battle. He saw Marinette standing there and gave her a lopsided smile and small salute before he turned and ran towards where the akuma attack had occurred.

Marinette just smiled grimly. It was good to see that Cat Noir was already here and had had the presence of mind to transform in an area where he was not going to be seen at this time of day. It wouldn't take long for them to defeat this akuma once Marinette joined him. This was going to be a simple, straightforward akuma attack. She did enjoy the short battles, they kept her on edge but were not too taxing or dangerous to everyone in Paris. With that in mind, Marinette ran into the locker room and the idea of a simple fight was driven from her mind.

The locker room was empty, that much she was expecting seeing as Cat Noir had transformed in the locker room itself and not the boy's bathroom, though she was still going to use a bathroom stall out of an abundance of caution. Still, Cat Noir transforming in here meant that the room had to be clear or else he wouldn't have changed in it. However, there was something off in the locker room. One of the lockers was open and as it was the only one, and it was still swinging gently as if it had been opened or closed very recently, it caught Marinette's eye instantly. There was something else about that particular locker.

It was a locker she knew very well, almost as well as her own locker. That was because it was the one person in the world who Marinette knew as well as herself, she did love him to the point of it being a slightly creepy stalker/obsession situation. The locker was that of her crush. It was Adrien's.

Marinette looked around the locker room and it was clearly empty. That was good but that might not last and she didn't want anyone to go into Adrien's locker and steal something he had left there for safekeeping during the day. True Marinette had looked in it in the past but not to steal anything, just to see what Adrien kept in there so that she could feel a little closer to him, and to return something that she may have accidentally taken.

Marinette quickly headed over to the locker and was about to close it when she noticed something odd. It was at eye level, on a shelf in the locker that was usually used for small items, and it was something she didn't normally associate with Adrien, an empty container of the finest Camembert cheese in Paris. That was surprising as there was only one person, well more accurately it was a fully sentient magical creature, in Paris that Marinette knew actually liked it and that was indirectly because it had been told to her by someone she trusted implicitly. That being was Plagg, Cat Noir's kwami.

Between the cheese, the open locker right after Cat Noir had left the room, and Cat Noir changing in the locker room and not a bathroom stall as she was planning, came back with one possible explanation. It was one that nearly floored Marinette, and would have had she not been in her current pressing situation, when she realized it. Adrien was Cat Noir.

Marinette needed to confirm it and she had to do it right away. She knew that there was an akuma attack going on but if she didn't have confirmation and had this on her mind then she would be distracted and a distraction while fighting an akuma could lead to a slip up and that could be a disaster on multiple levels. Cat Noir could handle the akuma just fine without her while she sorted this out. She had to be on top of her game, she couldn't afford to be distracted.

The main distraction would be the fact that if Adrien was Cat Noir then it meant that he was in love with her, well Ladybug but she was Ladybug so that counted, and that meant her feelings were reciprocated and she had no idea how she would handle that. Then there was the fact that she was a weak kneed mess around Adrien at the best of times and that would not be a good thing while she was Ladybug. She had to get answers and she had to get them right away.

There was only one person who could confirm it to her and it had to be confirmed before she dealt with this akuma. Closing the locker that had helped show Marinette the truth, she ran to the girls' bathroom, locked the door, and then ran into a stall that she locked as well. As soon as she was inside, she pulled out her purse and Tikki flew out of it, ready for action.

"Let's go Marinette, Cat Noir needs us." Tikki said quickly. "Time to transform and save Paris."

"I will but only after you confirm to me that Adrien is Cat Noir." Marinette said to her kwami. Tikki stopped dead in the air and her eyes went wide, both actions all but confirming to Marinette the truth but she needed to hear Tikki say it to truly confirm it.

"Marinette, why do you think that Adrien is Cat Noir?" Tikki asked quickly, a little too quickly and Marinette knew that she was on the right track when it came down to who Cat Noir was under his mask. "There is an akuma attack going on, this can wait."

"No, it can't." Marinette said firmly, staring hard at Tikki. "I need the truth and I need it now. Otherwise I might be distracted and that is not something I want in a fight with an akuma, especially seeing as they are becoming more powerful by the day. I am not saying the words until you tell me the truth."

"But Marinette, you said yourself that the secret of who each of you are under your masks had to remain secret." Tikki pointed out. "It is to protect you from Hawk Moth. If you find out the truth then things could get much more dangerous for both you and Cat Noir. It could also lead to you two accidentally revealing the truth to him and that would be disastrous."

"I know but right now this is all I can think about and not knowing will kill me." Marinette said with a sigh. "Well not literally kill but it will eat me up until I know and prevent me from properly doing my duty as Ladybug. Please Tikki, you are the only one who can confirm it right now."

"Marinette, I don't want to say anything." Tikki said. "The secret should be protected."

"I need to know Tikki." Marinette said just as another explosion rocked the school. "I can't fight in my current state of mind unless I know and the longer we delay the more damage this akuma will be able to cause, as well as growing more confident with its powers and that will make it even more deadly then it likely already is."

"I…" Tikki began, likely another denial, but there was a second explosion before Tikki could finish and her kwami gave a resigned sigh of defeat. "Fine, yes, you are right, Adrien is Cat Noir. Seeing as you figured it out on your own, I am not going to be in any trouble for just confirming it. Now that you know though, please can you transform and deal with this akuma."

"Oh yeah, we will deal with the akuma and then we will deal with Cat Noir." Marinette said as she felt her confidence returning now that she had confirmed the truth of who Cat Noir was and before Tikki could ask what Marinette meant when she had mentioned dealing with Cat Noir she added. "Tikki, spots on!"

As soon as her transformation was complete, Marinette unlocked the stall and then the bathroom and charged towards where she had heard the explosions coming from. She was going to fight this akuma as best she could and then deal with the revelation of who Cat Noir was.

Marinette knew that the right thing to do was to tell him the truth. Not about how she felt about him, she would just let Adrien ask her as Marinette out and admit the truth to her feelings for him at that point given how she had been rejecting him for him all along so he deserved the full truth. No, this truth was the truth about who she was under the mask. She would do it after the akuma fight was over. With that resolve, Marinette launched her yo-yo swung towards the akuma. She had an akuma to defeat first, it was her duty as Ladybug after all.

* * *

"Pound it." Marinette said to Cat Noir right after she had put everything back to rights after defeating another akuma.

It was what Marinette had expected, a younger student who had accidentally gotten in Chloe's way and her rudeness and insults had caused the girl to get upset and be akumatized. If Marinette didn't know better she would have thought that Hawk Moth kept an eye on Chloe at all times, or at least whenever she was interacting with people, so that he could akumatize his next victim as soon as Chloe teed that person up for him.

Cat Noir smiled and they fist bumped, breaking Marinette from her thoughts on Hawk Moth and Chloe. As Marinette had thought before she transformed, it had been a relatively straightforward akuma and Cat Noir had the situation well in hand by the time Marinette arrived but they needed her Lucky Charm to defeat it as usual. After that everything had followed the usual pattern until they reached this point.

Cat Noir's ring beeped right after their fist bump just as Marinette knew it would. Marinette put on a brave face; it was time to reveal who she was.

"Looks like this cat has got to split." Cat Noir said with a smile before turning to run towards the locker room. "I'll see you around m'lady."

"Wait, there are likely people there." Marinette said quickly. "You know, seeing as it is a relatively safe place to hide during and akuma attack. It's not the best place to transform at the moment."

"True, as always you are right bugaboo." Cat Noir said after a seconds thought and for once Marinette actually liked the pet name he used for her now that she knew who it was who was saying it to her.

"Follow me." Marinette said and swung away and up to the roof of the school where they would have the necessary privacy. Marinette didn't need to hear the sound of Cat Noir's baton extending to know that he was following her.

As soon as they landed on the roof, Marinette stopped. Cat Noir continued running to the edge, likely going to leap into the city and find a place to hide or try to make it home in time and assuming that Marinette would find her own place to transform. Marinette knew it was now or never.

"Wait, I know who you are." Marinette called out to Cat Noir before confirming it by adding. "Adrien."

The last word caused Cat Noir to stop dead in his tracks. He skidded to a halt and came to a stop with his toes over the edge of the roof but maintained his balance and didn't fall over. Marinette put it down to his miraculous giving him cat-like abilities, like perfect balance, while transformed. Had it been her, she would have fallen over the edge and that would have been painful even with the enhanced resilience her powers provided her.

"What did you say m'lady?" Adrien asked as he turned and slowly walked back towards her. Had Marinette had any lingering doubts, Adrien's reaction would have quashed them.

"I said that I know who you are under your mask." Marinette said with a confidence a confidence that she didn't feel like she had, all the while making sure that only them could hear them, being on a roof did allow plenty of privacy. "You are Adrien Agreste."

"If you have no proof then I can easily deny that." Adrien replied with a grin. "Even if I am comfortable with letting you know the truth, I know that you want to keep it a secret so I will deny it to preserve it because that is what you wish, m'lady."

"You can but I saw the locker you left open and I know that it is Adrien's." Marinette said and Adrien's eyes widened slightly at that. Marinette didn't care if he started to figure out who she was, she was about to show him who she was. "You went there to change and so that Plagg could get some cheese, or get Plagg from the cheese, my kwami has told me about Plagg's love for the stuff after Plagg and I worked together to defeat Style Queen so I know it could easily be either. Then all I had to do was get my kwami to confirm the truth."

"If you know the truth then why are you telling me?" Adrien asked crossing his arms and ignoring another beep from his ring. "Why not keep it a secret?"

"Because of who you are under the mask." Marinette said and she knew that she was blushing but she plowed through it, the confusion on Adrien's face helping her avoid her usual pitfalls around her crush. "But that can wait. First, I am ready to show you who I am. Don't bother denying it anymore, I know you are Adrien."

"You are ready to show me who you are?" Adrien asked a hint of hope in his voice that made Marinette's heart flutter.

"Yes I am." Marinette said and then raised a hand. "Don't talk kitty, I need to do this. Just promise me you won't judge me for who I am."

"Never." Cat Noir said softly, his voice full of love which was the last thing Marinette needed to give her the strength to do what she knew she had to do. "I know that whoever you are under that mask, you were chosen for a reason and you are Ladybug, with her without the mask."

Marinette smiled, she really loved Adrien and soon that love might actually be reciprocated. First, through, she had to show him the truth, with a deep breath and closing her eyes, Marinette said the words she never thought she would say while Cat Noir was looking at her.

"Tikki, spots off."

 **As y'all know, I can't resist a good cliffhanger ending (the first book in my Avatar/Harry Potter crossover series ends with one) and once again I couldn't resist it. It's pretty obvious what happens but still fun to leave it on a nice little tease, it's not the first time and it won't be the last. I am expecting to get the next oneshot out around Saturday or Sunday, I don't think I will have time tomorrow to finish the edits to polish the rough edges of my draft, and by that point I will have almost made up for my long absence, almost. As always, keep letting me know of what you think in your reviews, they mean a lot to me, and keep the suggestions rolling in. Until next week.**

 **Stringdog**


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